The Ministry of Agriculture forecasts an initial citrus harvest of 5.74 million tons, 1.1% more than in 2025 - Agroinformación

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food forecasts an initial citrus production estimate in Spain of 5,744,841 tons for the 2026/27 campaign, which began on September 1, based on data provided by the main producing autonomous communities.

The estimate, presented this Tuesday during the citrus sector meeting by the Secretary General for Agricultural Resources and Food Security, Ana Rodríguez Castaño, represents a 1.1% increase compared to the 2025/26 season, which ended with the lowest production of the last decade. Despite this recovery, the projected harvest will still be 4.2% below the average of the last five seasons.

The growing season will be marked by a favorable start in terms of water availability. Rainfall during the winter and spring has kept reservoirs at adequate levels to meet crop needs. Furthermore, the spring rains did not significantly disrupt flowering or pollination.

The main source of uncertainty arose during the summer. High temperatures caused a significant drop in fruit production, especially in oranges and clementines, which has reduced initial harvest expectations. The effect is particularly noticeable in smaller citrus fruits, to the point that, for the first time, forecasts for clementines are at the same level as those for mandarins and hybrids.

Specifically, orange production is projected at 2.8 million tons, which would be 4.6% (-134,300 tons) less than last season and 7.4% (-224,600 tons) below the average. As usual, this citrus fruit would be the most produced, representing 49% of the total volume. 72% of the oranges produced in Spain are of the navel variety.

Production of small citrus fruits is expected to reach 1.8 million tons, an increase of 0.8% (+15,200 tons) compared to last year, but 4.5% below the average (-85,800 tons). This type of citrus fruit would account for 32% of the total. Satsumas would represent 5.6% of this group, showing growth compared to last season, which was particularly low; clementines would account for 47.3%; and the remaining mandarins and hybrids would make up 47.1%, with a significant increase of 19% compared to the 2025/26 season.

Lemon production is projected to reach 991,800 tons, recovering from the decline of the 2025/26 season, although still below its potential. This amount represents a 21% increase (+172,900 tons) compared to the last season and a 3% increase (+29,000 tons) compared to the five-year average. 76% of the lemons will be of the Fino variety and 23% of the Verna variety.

In the case of grapefruit , with a forecast of over 110,200 tons, a record has been reached for the third consecutive year, surpassing last season by 4.7% (+4,990 tons) and exceeding the average by 27% (+23,100 tons). These production increases are due to the expansion of the cultivated area in recent years. Once again, with the release of this forecast, the Ministry reinforces its information systems for the sector and reaffirms its commitment to transparency, solvency, and viability, as outlined in the plan of measures for the improvement of the citrus sector adopted in April 2019, which provides the sector with better resources for decision-making.

During the meeting, the prospects for the 2026/27 campaign were also analyzed, and an analysis of our country's citrus foreign trade in the last campaign was carried out, as well as other issues of interest to the sector such as its health situation, emphasizing the situation of the citrus vein chlorosis virus in Spain and the availability of phytosanitary defense means, and the promotion programs.