Orange juice (OJ) production in Australia in 2022–23 is forecast at 16,100 metric tons (MT), a decrease of 2% from the 2021–22 season’s 16,500 MT. In 2020–21, the country’s OJ production reached 17,400 MT. The 2022–23 forecast was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).
The planted area of juicing orange varieties, accounting for 36% of overall orange planted area, has declined by 3% from 2014 to 2021. The industry expects that as mature (40 years and older) Valencia trees’ productivity becomes unviable, they will be removed, and the overall Valencia area will decline at a more rapid rate than in recent years.
LOW EXPORT VOLUME
The forecast for OJ exports for 2022–23 is for a slight increase to 4,000 MT, up from the 2021–22 estimate of 3,500 MT. Exports are quite low at around 25% of production.
Exports over the last 10 years have ranged from as low as 1,500 MT to as high as 6,000 MT, and averaged a little under 4,000 MT.
In years when Australia has achieved the higher end of export volumes, New Zealand has been the major destination and has largely driven those higher volumes. However, so far in the 2021–22 season, Vietnam has become a significant destination for orange juice exports while exports to New Zealand have declined markedly.
IMPORTS INCH UP
Imports of OJ in 2022–23 are forecast at 19,000 MT, slightly higher than the 2021–22 estimate of 18,000 MT.
Brazil has for many years been the major source of Australia’s OJ imports and in recent years has accounted for more than 75% of overall imports. At less than 10%, Turkey is the second largest source of imports. This trend is not expected to vary greatly in the coming years.
See the full USDA FAS citrus report for Australia here.
Source: USDA FAS
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