Browse Data and Analysis

After several years of consistent growth, China’s citrus production in marketing year (MY) 2022/23 is expected to remain steady as the market deals with continuing COVID challenges, unfavorable weather, and phytosanitary issues.

Israel’s planted citrus area in marketing year (MY) 2022/23 is forecast to be 16,200 hectares (ha) with no change from the area planted in MY 2021/22. The productive area is estimated at 15,850 ha and official figures have yet to be published by the Citrus Board this year regarding the aera planted.

The Government of New Zealand has passed legislation that will restrict a wide range of plastic products to be sold in New Zealand, including non-compostable produce stickers.

The volume of U.S. fresh, dried, and processed fruit exports between 2012/13 and 2021/22 dropped 29 percent to 2.9 million metric tons[1]. However, a 25-percent gain in unit value during this period softened the decrease in value to just 11 percent lower as trade dropped $700 million to $6.0 billion.

With ideal conditions for high productivity and a nearly year-round harvest, Peru's blueberry production continues to rise. FAS Lima forecasts Peruvian blueberry production for marketing year (MY) 2022 (March-April) to reach a record 280,000 metric tons (MT), with exports expected to reach 270,000 MT. In the last ten years, Peru has built a blueberry industry from 80 hectares in 2012 to about 17,500 hectares currently in production.

For Marketing Year (MY) 2022/23, Post forecasts fresh deciduous fruit production to rebound to 535,000 MT for apples and 700,000 MT for pears due to favorable weather conditions.

For marketing year (MY) 2022/23, Post forecasts fresh lemon production to decrease to 1.77 million metric tons (MMT) due to unfavorable weather conditions. Fresh orange production is projected to decrease to 800,000 metric tons (MT), and fresh tangerine production is expected to decrease to 380,000 MT due to heavy hailstorms in July 2022 in northeastern Argentina, which caused fruit loss and may have damaged trees.

Warm and dry summer conditions have driven the EU’s MY 2022/23 citrus production down to 10.5 million metric tons (MT). The production decline has been especially steep in the case of orange production, which is anticipated to decline by nearly 13 percent.

In MY 2022/23, all citrus production in Turkiye is expected to decrease due to freezing weather conditions in March 2022 at the beginning of the blossoming period. Retail prices are expected to increase for MY 2022/23 due to low yields and high farmgate prices as a result of increasing input costs for fertilizers, fuel, disinfestation, packaging and transportation.

FAS Lima forecasts Peruvian mandarin/tangerine production at 550,000 metric tons (MT), with exports expected to reach 200,000 MT for marketing year (MY) 2022/23 (March 2023 to February 2024). Lower profitability driven by labor cost increases, fertilizer scarcity, erratic weather, increased transportation costs, and container shortages will negatively impact production and exports.

Mandarin (Citrus unshiu) production in Japan continues to gradually decrease along with a falling number of farmers. Overall Japanese citrus consumption fell as the price of imported citrus, including oranges, grapefruit and lemons, increased due to a combination of shipping challenges, inflation, and Japanese yen depreciation.

Total citrus production in Mexico across oranges, lemons/limes, and grapefruit is expected to decline in market year (MY) 2022/23 due to challenges such as damage to trees from increasingly severe weather conditions over multiple seasons, particularly in Northeastern producing states, and the rising costs of inputs and logistics for producers that is pressuring yields downward.