The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently forecast South Korean citrus production and trade for 2025–26. Tangerines and mandarins are the country’s dominant citrus varieties.
TANGERINES/MANDARINS
Korea’s tangerine/mandarin production is projected to increase 5.4% to approximately 570,000 metric tons (MT), thanks to favorable yield offsetting acreage loss.The tangerine/mandarin cultivation area in South Korea is projected to decrease by about 1.1% from the previous year to 19,400 hectares.
The country’s tangerine/mandarin exports are projected to decrease by about 500 MT from the previous year to 3,000 MT. Russia is expected to receive more than 55% of total exports, followed by Canada, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Due to the tariff phaseout under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), imports of U.S. (California) mandarins to South Korea in 2025–26 will at least double from the previous year, reaching more than16,000 MT. Starting Jan. 1, the import tariff on U.S. mandarins was reduced to zero under KORUS.
OTHER VARIETIES
There is no domestic production of navel or Valencia oranges in South Korea. The country’s orange imports are projected to decrease by about 7% from the prior year to around 90,000 MT.
South Korea has no official data for lemon production, as it is not a major crop in the country. Based on information from the Rural Development Administration, USDA FAS estimates South Korean lemon production was about 630 MT on 49 hectares in 2024. For 2025–26, South Korea’s lemon imports are expected to decrease to approximately 27,000 MT from the previous year’s 28,525 MT.
There is no domestic grapefruit production in South Korea. For 2025–26, the country’s grapefruit imports are expected to increase by about 5% to 14,500 MT. The main suppliers are Israel and South Africa.
See the full USDA FAS report on South Korean citrus here.
Source: USDA FAS
Share this Post