Record Mandarin Production Expected in Australia

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) has forecast record Australian tangerine and mandarin production for 2024–25. The country is poised to produce 225,000 metric tons (MT), a 7% increase from the prior year.

ADDING ACREAGE

The mandarin planted area in Australia has grown rapidly over the last decade. During the period from 2014 to 2023, there has been a 64% increase in mandarin plantings from 5,451 hectares to 8,948 hectares. This growth has broadly occurred across all producing regions in Australia.

The Afourer (including Amorette and Tango) variety has by far had the largest growth in production area over the 2014 to 2023 period, going from 998 hectares to 3,202 hectares. It is now clearly the dominant variety.

Queensland has the largest area of mandarin production in Australia at 4,635 hectares, accounting for 52% of the nation’s tangerine/mandarin area. The largest mandarin-producing area in Queensland is in the Central Burnett area in the southeast of the state around Gayndah and Mundubbera.

The next largest regions are the Murray Valley in Victoria with 1,598 hectares and Riverland in South Australia with 1,392 hectares.

EXPANDING EXPORTS

Australian mandarin exports are forecast to reach a new record of 105,000 MT in 2024–25, surpassing the likely record estimate of 97,000 MT the prior year. The ongoing expansion of mandarin planting areas and the increasing maturity of trees reaching full production are expected to drive record-breaking production and export levels in coming years.

Australian mandarin exports are well diversified, reaching approximately 40 destinations. The export destinations are evenly distributed, with no single country dominating. China and Thailand have consistently been the leading destinations in recent years.

Tangerine and mandarin imports for 2024–25 are forecast at 2,000 MT, consistent with the 2023–24 estimate.

See the full USDA FAS report on Australian citrus here.

Source: USDA FAS

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