The 2009-10 winter citrus programme should do a lot of good to Mediterranean growers suffering from a succession of poor economic performances in preceding seasons. The production deficit in Spain, the main export source, means that supplies should be medium to light supplies on the major Western European markets, with a return to good prices at all stages in the chain-especially for oranges and easy peelers. Nevertheless, this season will not erase the deep-seated problems experienced by the citrus sectors in certain countries. Changes in comparison with last season reveal the traces left by a succession of crises in recent years and confirm the major current trends in Mediterranean citrus growing. Although cultivated areas are tending to stabilise or even decrease in the main EU producer countries in which cost prices are high, the increase is continuing strongly in Turkey and Egypt, while Morocco is displaying fresh ambitions.