The World Citrus Organisation’s (WCO) preliminary forecast for the 2024 Southern Hemisphere citrus season projects total production will decrease 0.77% from the prior year. Production for Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay is estimated at 24.34 million tons this year.
The WCO broke the forecast down by variety:
- Orange production is forecast to decrease 5.66% from 2023, to 15.48 million tons.
- Soft citrus (mandarin) production is expected to increase 11.58% to 3.33 million tons.
- A 5.69% production increase to 3.24 million tons is projected for lemon production.
- Grapefruit production should decline by 3.89% to 532,539 tons.
- Limes are forecast to reach 1.76 tons, which is 10.57% above the 2023 figure.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IMPACT PRODUCTION
The Southern Hemisphere’s 2024 season has been impacted by difficult climatic conditions, as drought-like conditions negatively affected production. However, expectations have improved recently, leading to only a slight decrease in production.
EXPORTS TO INCREASE
Despite the expected overall production decrease, citrus exports from the Southern Hemisphere are expected to continue increasing. Exports are projected at 4.16 million tons in 2024, up 7.4% from 2023.
The Southern Hemisphere production and export forecasts were presented during the WCO’s recent annual general meeting.
WCO LEADERSHIP CHANGE
Also at the meeting, WCO had its first leadership transition. Leadership switched from previous co-chairs Justin Chadwick for the South Hemisphere and José Antonio García for the North Hemisphere to new co-chairs Sergio del Castillo of Peru for the South Hemisphere and Badr Bennis of Morocco for the North Hemisphere. Castillo and Bennis will guide the association’s work for the next two years.
The non-profit WCO, based in Brussels, Belgium, is the platform for dialogue and action for the global citrus community. It unites citrus-producing countries and citrus stakeholders to facilitate collective action in the citrus sector, for both fresh and processed categories.
Source: The World Citrus Organisation
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