The Saint-Charles market in Perpignan, which plays a central role in the supply of fruit and vegetables to Europe, bears witness to these growing difficulties. According to the manager of a Perpignan fruit company working with the Valence region, “it is during this period that the clementines are harvested and put in the ripening chamber”.
But the floods have caused significant damage: “The fruits are saturated with water and risk rotting,” continues the Perpignan sales representative. The situation is all the more critical as many producers are currently unreachable, their farms being submerged, and the electrical infrastructure completely destroyed.
“60% drop in clementine arrivals”
Furthermore, the main highway linking Spain to France is impassable, which further complicates the transport of products. A situation likely to lead to “a 60% drop in arrivals of clementines in France”, alerts the Perpignan manager to our colleagues at France Bleu.
If the weather disturbances have stopped in the Valencia region, the city of Barcelona was placed on red alert on Monday and heavy rains could still affect part of citrus production.
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