Citrus crops

The products of the land and the sea have been the main source of wealth in the province for several centuries. Citrus fruits, which are a hallmark of Castellón’s agricultural sector in the international context, stand out among them. The sector has more than 30,000 hectares dedicated to citrus fruit production, of which more than 25,000 hectares are dedicated to growing mandarin oranges, including the well-known clemenules, the variety most prized by consumers.

During the last decade, the sector has undergone a process of readjustment due to its embrace of technology and modernisation in order to achieve higher productivity, and also due to the progressive decrease in the cultivated area. Another transformation that has taken place is the evolution of organic farming, where the sector has already certified 304 hectares.

Agriculture has evolved enormously in recent decades. This has been a process involving the incorporation of a high degree of technification in all areas, together with the simultaneous loss of cultivated land due to a fall in profitability for small producers

Area under organic farming

33,298 ha (2023)

Growth of 286%

in the last 10 years

The boom in organic farming has been constant in Castellón, with the Baix Maestrat as the region with the largest accredited surface area in the Valencian Community thanks to its olive and nut tree groves, which is another piece of the provincial jigsaw puzzle.

The Castellón citrus growing sector has a history of exportation, an activity that it still maintains today. In fact, in the 2022-2023 season, 64.1% of the province’s production was sold outside Spanish borders, while only 20% remained for the domestic market. The perseverance of producers and the innovation in recent decades kept the sector at the forefront of Spanish agri-food exports in 2022, behind only pork, with a sales value of 3.6 billion euros.

Sales are mainly made in the EU market, to countries such as France and Germany, as well as the UK. However, the North American market is also particularly attractive, where the Port of Castellón has traditionally been the central hub of operations. In 2014, 43,549 tonnes were shipped from the port facilities, but the imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration in 2019 has meant a reduction in the volume of shipments to 9,146 tonnes in 2023. Port-Castelló’s advantages include a specific fruit and vegetable terminal with a large cooling plant, which complies with the most demanding protocols for transporting fruits and vegetables.

However, the potential of the agri-food sector in Castellón today lies in large, fully modernised companies with a global perspective, capable of competing on a large scale, with strong financial resources and both domestic (in the supermarket channel) and international presence.