The European Union’s (EU) production of tangerines/mandarins, lemons and grapefruit are all projected to decline in 2022–23 compared to the prior season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) made the EU citrus projections.
TANGERINES/MANDARINS
EU tangerine and mandarin production in 2022–23 is forecast at 3.01 million metric tons (MMT), down from 3.15 MMT the previous season. Good output levels obtained in Italy and Greece did not offset production decreases in Spain.
EU is a net importer of mandarins. In 2022–23, tangerine and mandarin imports by the EU are forecast at 410,000 metric tons (MT), down from 432,000 MT the prior year. In 2021–22, South Africa, Morocco, Turkey, Israel and Peru were the leading suppliers to the EU market.
Exports of mandarins from the EU are projected to dip to 300,000 MT in 2022–23 from 320,000 MT the prior year. The EU’s main export market destinations for mandarins included the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ukraine, Belarus, Norway and Canada.
LEMONS
In 2022–23, EU lemon production is forecast at just over 1.5 million MT, down from 1.6 million MT in 2021–22. The decline is driven by a production decline projected for Spain, despite improved output in Italy and Greece.
Spain and Italy are the first and second largest EU lemon producers, accounting for nearly 65% and 30% percent of total lemon production, respectively.
EU lemon imports are projected to decline to 560,000 MT in 2022–23, down from 629,000 MT the prior year. South Africa, Turkey, Argentina and Brazil were the leading suppliers to the EU market in 2021–22.
EU lemon exports in 2022–23 are projected at 140,000 MT, only slightly below the 142,000 MT exported in 2022–21. In 2021–22, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway remained the main destination for EU lemons, which are shipped primarily from Spain.
GRAPEFRUIT
EU grapefruit production is forecast to decline to 109,000 MT in 2022–23 from 111,000 MT the prior year.
Spain is the EU’s leading grapefruit producer and accounts for nearly 75% of the bloc’s production.
EU imports of grapefruit in 2022–23 are projected at 215,000 MT, down from 223,000 MT the prior year. The EU is a net importer of fresh grapefruit. Despite the suspension of
additional EU tariffs since spring 2021, U.S. grapefruit exports to the EU further contracted in 2021–22 as Florida’s grapefruit production continued shrinking. In 2021–22, the largest suppliers to the EU included South Africa, Turkey, China, Israel, United States and Mexico.
EU grapefruit exports are expected to decline to 15,000 MT in 2022–23 compared to 17,000 MT the prior year. In 2021–22, main destinations of EU grapefruit included the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belarus and Ukraine.
See the full USDA FAS report on EU citrus here.
Source: USDA FAS
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