AILIMPO´s LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT FORECAST 2022/2023

Estimated production of 1,090,000 tons of lemons and 76,000 tons of grapefruit. 

Decrease of 10% in both Lemon and Grapefruit. 

Increased yields from new plantations only partially offset the production losses caused by severe weather conditions.

Spain will maintain its leading position in Europe with conventional and organic lemons, consolidating sustainable production, support for biodiversity and GLOBALGAP and GRASP certifications, offering the European market a local product. In parallel, Spain will continue to consolidate its position in grapefruit. Murcia, September 29, 2022 LEMON

AILIMPO’s lemon crop estimate for the next 2022/2023 season, forecasts a production in Spain of 1,090,000 tons, which represents an overall decrease of 10% compared to the 2021/2022 season that closes with a final production of 1,211,000 tons according to the provisional balance that accounts for the fruit exported, processed, sold in the domestic market, as well as weight losses. The balance has been higher than initially expected partly due to a higher production of Verna lemons due to the strong increase in sizes, and there was also an important harvest of “rodrejo” lemons in summer.

The expected decline is due to adverse weather conditions in 2022 with significant rainfall events in March and April that affected flowering and fruit setting in many production areas. In addition, the summer has been particularly hot with increased temperatures and a lack of rain, resulting in delayed fruit development with smaller fruit sizes at present date. The decrease will be particularly remarkable in the Verna variety, with a 22% drop. In the case of Fino variety, a 5% drop is expected. In any case, the rate of harvesting and size development will determine the final crop estimate.

Spain will continue to be the world’s leading exporter of fresh lemons in 2022/2023, and the second largest processor of lemons in juice, essential oil and dehydrated peel worldwide.

GRAPEFRUIT AILIMPO’s grapefruit production estimate for the 2022/2023 season points to an expected harvest in Spain of 76,000 tons, a 10% decrease compared to the previous season.   You can download the complete report here: 29092022_AILIMPO_Lemon_and_Grapefruit_Forecast_Season_2022-2023 Upcoming Updates: AILIMPO to update Verna lemon crop forecast

• Thursday, January 26, 2023

Methodological Note: AILIMPO prepares this technical report following the work protocol based on the aggregated information from the surveys to producers, cooperatives, exporters, and processing industries with field information from their control farms.

AILIMPO is a national interprofessional, based in Murcia, officially recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the European Commission, which represents the economic interests of producers, cooperatives, exporters and industrialists of lemon and grapefruit in Spain, a sector in which Spain is the world leader in fresh exports and 2nd in the ranking of processing countries, with an annual turnover of 1,000 million € and generating 23,000 jobs.

The lemon sector contributes to environmental sustainability, with a net positive balance of 311,250 tons of CO₂ sequestered per year.

Among its functions, the law highlights: To ensure the proper functioning of the food chain, to elaborate agri-food standard contracts and to develop methods to control and rationalize the use of phytosanitary products to guarantee the quality of products and the protection of the environment, as well as the promotion of quality standards and excellence in the sector.