Higher and stable prices for Spanish grapefruit due to low market supply

The Spanish grapefruit campaign kicked off in mid-October, later than usual, and with a lower production, resulting in higher and more stable prices than last season.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the grapefruit harvest could reach 75,394 tons. This is 13.7% less than last season and also the lowest harvest in the last three seasons, following two consecutive production records in the previous two campaigns.

"Many feel that there's even less fruit than officially estimated," says Miguel Barber, manager of Pomelos MBC, which is specialized in the year-round production and marketing of grapefruit, with a volume that exceeds 16 million kilos. "We started harvesting in week 42, later than usual and coinciding with a more premature withdrawal of stocks from the southern hemisphere, which has led to an anticipated demand for Spanish grapefruit by European chains."

Miguel Barber recalled that the production is going to fall in all producing countries of the Mediterranean arc, such as Israel and Turkey, "where the decline in the harvest has been very noticeable." He also points out that "we are not noticing the presence of Mexican grapefruit, which tends to overlap with South Africa and is usually a competitor for us at the beginning of the season." Nor are high volumes expected from Florida, where the productions have been affected by Hurricane Ian. "Due to this situation, we are shipping more volumes to France, which usually imports quite a lot from Florida," he said.

Due to the summer drought, small sizes predominate, "which is strange in a year with less fruit available." However, given the lower supply, prices are higher than at the beginning of the previous season, and they are holding up, which is helping offset the increase in production costs. With higher prices, we cannot expect the demand to skyrocket. Actually, it would be good if this balance could be maintained throughout the season.

According to MAPA data, the citrus cultivation areas that have grown the most this year are those devoted to lemon and grapefruit, which are up by more than 10%, mainly in Andalusia and the Region of Murcia. "The reason why the acreage devoted to grapefruit is growing so much is because, at the moment, it is the most profitable citrus fruit of all. However, it is growing too fast, as the prospect is that Spain's grapefruit production will have increased by 85% by 2025. We are talking about a niche product that has enjoyed very stable consumption levels for a few years.