Data from a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report show that universal citrus exports in the 2020-21 season are up.
According to the report, worldwide exports are estimated at 11 million metric tons (MT), with oranges representing over 40% and soft citrus nearly 3%.
"Exports are propelled by tangerines/mandarins from China, South Africa, and Turkey, and to a lesser extent higher lemon exports from Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey. South Africa is the largest exporter followed by Turkey and Egypt," the report read.
Global citrus production is estimated to be up 4% to 98 million MT. For soft citrus, global production is estimated to rise 4% to a record 33.3 million MT, with growth expected in nearly every market. Consumption and exports are both up on higher supplies.
For lemons and limes, production is estimated at 8.4 metric tons as increased production in Mexico, the EU, and Turkey nearly offset declines in Argentina and the US. Consumption and exports are projected to rise while fruit for processing is expected to fall nearly 20%.
Global trade is estimated to be higher as exports from Mexico and Turkey more than offset a decline from Argentina.
For oranges, global production is estimated to rise 2.5 million MT from the previous year to 48.6 million MT as favourable weather leads to a larger crop in Brazil and Mexico.
For grapefruit, global production is estimated to be down less than 1% to 6.7 million MT due to unfavourable weather in the US and Turkey that is more than offset higher production in China, Mexico, and South Africa.
Consumption is expected to be flat while exports are estimated to be slightly higher on gains in China and South Africa.
