This year, the Spanish Orri mandarin campaign will continue until the end of May thanks to a record harvest and the good preservation of the variety, both on the tree and in the post-harvest. In a year where average prices have dropped for all varieties in the second part of the campaign, the Orri continues to reach the highest prices.
"Prices have significantly dropped in the second part of the campaign this year due to the abundant production of all varieties," says Guillermo Soler, manager of the Orri Running Committee Spain. "Moreover, the greater presence of mandarins from third countries in the Mediterranean basin has also contributed to an excess supply in the markets."
According to Soler, although prices have been under downward pressure, the Orri mandarin continues to reach the highest prices. "This proves the extent of the variety's differentiation, despite the market conditions," he says.
"After some periods of oversupply in February and March, the pace of sales recovered and we are currently having a good campaign, with one month left to go," says the manager of ORC Spain. "Based on the information conveyed by industry agents, it seems that Spanish Orri exports are at their usual levels, and trends in the domestic market are similar to those of 2022, a year in which there was a similar harvest. It is also worth recalling that this has been an unusually warm year, which doesn't make it easy to boost citrus consumption."
It seems that in the coming years there will be an increasing supply of mandarins in the second part of the campaign. "The planting of certain varieties have significantly expanded in recent years, so volumes will continue to rise as these come into production. There are also new varieties arriving in the second part of the campaign, which will cause some saturation at some points, and could displace other varieties in January and February," says Soler.
"I believe, however, that the Orri, which has a limited and well-managed production in Spain, will continue to stand out as a mandarin with premium differentiation for all links in the value chain," he says.
"In the domestic market, it continues to increasingly stand out from other products available and consumption will continue to grow, thanks in part to the promotions carried out by ORC. We will keep working on communicating the uniquely premium features of the Orri variety to ensure that it can continue to stand out from the large supply we expect in the coming years," says Guillermo Soler.
For more information:
Orri Running Committee
www.orcspain.es