(Citrus Australia photo)
Australian tangerine/mandarin production in 2023–24 is forecast at 180,000 metric tons (MT) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s a 5% decrease from the 2022–23 estimate of 190,000 MT. This decline is mainly due to a biennial effect, with this being a down year.
INCREASED ACREAGE
Queensland, by far, has the largest area of mandarin production in Australia at 4,440 hectares, accounting for 54% of the national production. The next largest mandarin regions are the Riverland in South Australia with 1,430 hectares (18%), and Murray Valley in Victoria with 1,419 hectares (17%).
Over the period from 2014 to 2022 there has been a 50% increase in mandarin plantings, with planted area going from 5,451 hectares to 8,157 hectares.
EXPORTS AND IMPORTS
Australian mandarin exports in 2023–24 are forecast at 85,000 MT, down from an estimated 95,000 MT in 2022–23. This is due to the expected decrease in production. If the forecast is realized, it will be the third-highest volume of mandarin exports on record for Australia.
Based on an increase in plantings over recent years, USDA FAS anticipates that production will continue to increase, and exports will reach new record peaks.
Australian exports of mandarins are well diversified, with around 35 destinations. Over the last three years, the top 10 recipient nations have accounted for about 85% of all exports. Thailand has increased its appetite for Australian mandarins over the last three years. It has surpassed China to become Australia’s biggest export destination at 19% of overall exports.
Tangerine/mandarin imports for 2022–23 were projected at 2,000 MT. Past import results had been stable at around 4,000 MT per annum but have declined over recent years and have shown no signs of recovery. Imports equal around 1% of domestic production.
See the full USDA FAS report on Australian citrus for 2023–24 here.
Source: USDA/FAS
Share this Post
Sponsored Content