Javea Grapevine 337 | Page 55

Citrus crop down next season , but prices to be maintained

The forecast of citrus production in the Comunitat Valenciana for the 2017 / 2018 marketing year stands at 3,143,984 tonnes , which represents a 20 % decrease compared to the previous season .

The higher yields and lower volume will be due to the natural alternation of citrus cultivation , the reduction of the cultivated area by “ 2,000 hectares ” and the rise of other products such as persimmon .

Another reason for this decline in production is the climatic effect , namely the abundant rains at the end of 2016 and the high temperatures in May that affected the setting of the fruit . From : Las Provincias