The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected 2025–26 production and trade volumes for Chinese tangerines/mandarins and pomelos/grapefruit.
TANGERINES AND MANDARINS
For 2025–26, China’s production of tangerines and mandarins is forecast at 27.1 million metric tons (MMT), a slight increase from 2024–25 largely due to favorable weather conditions. According to USDA FAS, China has 890,100 hectares of tangerines and mandarins.
Imports of tangerines and mandarins are projected to reach 55,000 metric tons (MT), up 14% from the previous year. That’s assuming South Africa’s supply to China will rebound and the demand for Australian fruit will continue to be strong in the coming year. The top three suppliers are South Africa, Australia and Peru.
China’s exports of mandarins and tangerines are expected to reach 1.25 MMT, up 2% from the previous year. Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Russia, the Philippines, Thailand, Maylasia, North Korea, Bangladesh and Hong Kong are the top 10 export destinations.
POMELOS AND GRAPEFRUIT
Total Chinese pomelo and grapefruit production in 2025–26 is forecast at 5.35 MMT, up slightly from 2024–25. USDA FAS provided no data on planted area for pomelos and grapefruit.
Pomelo and grapefruit imports for 2025–26 are forecast to reach 115,000 MT, up 5% from 2024–25. China’s imports from Laos grew 68.7% in 2024–25, reaching 45,116 MT and making it the largest supplier. South Africa and Thailand follow Laos as leading suppliers. Other suppliers include Egypt, Taiwan, Morocco, Israel and Peru.
USDA FAS forecasts Chinese pomelo and grapefruit exports will be approximately 190,000 MT, up slightly from the previous year’s 187,396 MT. The projected export increase is due to a larger supply of better-quality fruit, which is more suitable for export. The Netherlands, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Romania and Ukraine are the top five export destinations.
See the full USDA FAS report on China citrus here.
Source: USDA FAS
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