The conference Retos del sector citrícola (Challenges of the citrus sector), organized by the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-Asaja) and Grupo Henar Comunicación, brought together a hundred professionals at Finca Sinyent. One of the key messages was the need for innovation to maintain competitiveness.

The regional secretary of Agriculture, Vicente Tejedo, emphasized the importance of sector reconversion in the face of pressure from the European lobby and the reduction of phytosanitary products by the Spanish government. For his part, the president of AVA-Asaja, Cristóbal Aguado, called for support for more dimensioned, mechanized, and digitized structures, as well as solutions against pests, trade agreements, and promotion of added value.

The round table on technology and professionalization, featuring Manuel Gómez (Caudal), Lorena Ruíz (Santander España), and Juan Salvador Torres (AVA-Asaja), highlighted persistent structural challenges. Torres lamented that the administration's failure to address these issues has led to sector abandonment, especially among small producers, and stressed the difficulty of mechanizing fields due to high costs and small scale, calling for a clear roadmap.

Lorena Ruíz focused on actively listening to consumers and the need to define and execute objectives with funding and knowledge. Manuel Gómez added that innovation and efficiency in water use not only save resources but also improve the sustainability and health of citrus fruits, a value to be leveraged with consumers.

Researchers from IVIA, Alberto Urbaneja and María Ángeles Forner, presented the Integrant Project, focused on combating pests like HLB and on research for climate change adaptation.

The impact of trade agreements with third countries, such as South Africa, Egypt, and Mercosur, was another key point. Alejandro Aparicio, a producer, called for more solutions against pests, labor, machinery facilities, and reciprocity. Ernesto Fernández, Director General of Industry and Agri-food Chain, criticized the design of trade treaties. José María García Álvarez-Coque, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, proposed defending human and plant health instead of reciprocity.

Finally, Celestino Recatalá, president of Intercitrus, highlighted the sector's consensus to resume promotion campaigns that emphasize the proximity, freshness, quality, food safety, and sustainability of Spanish citrus, leading R&D+i in the fight against pests and other problems.