First estimate of lemon harvest un Spain next season 2022/2023
AILIMPO’s first crop estimate of lemon for the next 2022/2023 season, forecasts a production in Spain of 1,150,000 tons, which represents a slight increase of 2% compared to the provisional balance of the 2021/2022 season that is expected to close with a crop of 1,130,000 tons.
This first crop estimate will be confirmed at the end of September and is conditioned by the evolution of weather conditions and the impact on the harvest volume of the entry into production of new plantations, since the lemon area has increased by 12,900 hectares in the last 7 years, from 37,500 ha to 50,400 ha (+34%), according to official Ministry of Agriculture data.
Spain will continue in 2022/2023 to be the leading exporter of fresh lemon, and the second largest processor of lemon juice, essential oil and dehydrated peel worldwide.
Outlook
The start of the 22/23 season will be conditioned by the liquidation of Southern Hemisphere stocks in September. In this scenario, Spain will start the season on a suitable date that will allow a correct transition and guarantee top quality lemons as a differentiating element. To achieve this objective, AILIMPO recommends growers to have their farms certified by GlobalG.A.P. and Grasp, as well as monitoring the crop with less irrigation and fertilization pressure.
Coming updates: AILIMPO will update its harvest forecast on:
- Thursday, 29 September 2022
- Thursday, 25 January 2023
Note on methodology: AILIMPO has drawn up this technical report following the working protocol, using information from surveys taken by producers, cooperatives, exporters and processing industries in addition to field information from its control farms.
AILIMPO is a Spanish inter-professional association based in Murcia, officially recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the European Commission and representing the economic interests of producers, cooperatives, exporters and lemon and grapefruit industries in Spain – a sector in which Spain is the world leader for the export of fresh lemons and 2nd in the ranking for processing countries with an annual turnover of €800 million, generating more than 23,000 direct jobs and a turnover of more than 3250 million in related industries.
The lemon sector contributes to environmental sustainability, with a positive net balance of more than 311,250 tonnes of CO2 captured per year.
By law, its functions include: ensuring the proper operation of the food supply chain, drawing up agri- food contracts and developing methods for monitoring and streamlining the use of phytosanitary products to guarantee product quality and the protection of the environment and also encouraging and promoting quality standards and excellence within the sector.
