Catalonia's citrus fruits are losing more than **50%** of their production over two consecutive campaigns. Unió de Pagesos is calling for aid to convert **400 ha** annually.
According to agrodigital.com, Catalan citrus has experienced two consecutive campaigns with production declines exceeding 50%, a figure that the organisation Unió de Pagesos attributes to the 2025/26 campaign and expects to repeat in the current one. The heavy rains last autumn and the heatwaves in June caused the fruit to fall to the ground, particularly in the clemenules variety. This is compounded by rising costs: diesel, fertilisers, pesticides, seedlings, labour, and machinery.
On October 13, the union met with officials from the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat to present the situation of the sector and a package of proposals. Among them is a grant of €17,000 per professional, as part of the aid for professional agriculture due to the damages from the climate crisis.
The union warns that 39.4% of citrus farm holders are over 65 years old. Most plantations are between 25 and 30 years old and cannot be converted due to their low profitability.
According to data from the Department of Agriculture, between 2015 and 2024, the area of citrus cultivation in Catalonia decreased by 1,849 ha, production fell by 45,000 t, and 559 citrus growers disappeared. Meanwhile, imports from third countries, favoured by free trade agreements, enter at lower prices and without tariffs.
Another complaint from the organisation is the undeclared area in the DUN (single agricultural declaration), which escapes the control of the Administration. It estimates around 3,000 ha in this situation, which is 31% of the total, compared to the 6,595 ha declared according to Agriculture data.
The union also denounces fraud regarding the origin of Valencia oranges sold in Catalonia. According to Unió de Pagesos, some packaging highlights the variety on the label while concealing that it comes from South Africa, a practice that still persists on the shelves of large retailers.
The organisation demands urgent action from the Administration and, if it does not arrive, announces campaigns of complaints. It proposes to promote the conversion of 400 ha annually for five years, with the maximum percentage of investment aid allowed by Europe.
This measure is already included in the Citrus Action Plan of the Department, and the union requests its implementation from 2027. Additionally, it wants a specific module for citrus within the Global Exploitation Contract 2027.
Finally, it calls for strengthening collaboration between IRTA and IVIA to repeat varietal trials in the Terres de l'Ebre. The aim is to determine which varieties adapt best to the cultivation conditions of the area.
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