The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) projected a slight decrease in European orange production in 2023–24 and a slight increase in orange juice (OJ) and grapefruit production. ORANGES The USDA FAS semi-annual report projects 2023–24 EU orange production at 5.475 million metric tons (MMT), down from the already short prior-year crop of 5.58 MMT. Orange production …
Preserving and Promoting the Florida Citrus Industry
Citrus historian and volunteer extraordinaire Brenda Eubanks Burnette is the 2024 Citrus Achievement Award winner. Brenda Eubanks Burnette’s initial exposure to the citrus industry was merely by chance. As Miss Winter Haven in 1978, she was asked to fill in when the reigning Florida Citrus Queen couldn’t make a scheduled appearance at a citrus processing plant. A MEMORABLE REIGN Needing …
Chilean Citrus Export Expectations
The Chilean Citrus Committee recently estimated that global citrus exports from Chile will total 383,000 tons this season, a 4% decline from 2023. Export declines are projected for clementines, mandarins and oranges. Lemons are the only citrus fruit forecast to have increased export volume this season. The committee forecast clementine export volume of 40,000 tons, which is 35% less than …
Forecast for Southern Hemisphere Citrus Production
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: CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IMPACT PRODUCTION The Southern Hemisphere’s 2024 …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: New Leadership at Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration
By Peter Chaires The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration is key to maintaining a healthy citrus nursery industry. The bureau ensures that Florida nurseries have access to clean, quality, reliable budwood. It is important for industry to remain familiar with the team running the bureau. Considering recent changes to the bureau’s leadership, …
Florida Citrus Acreage Still Tops in United States
As part of its recently published Florida Citrus Statistics 2022–23, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) reported Florida’s citrus acreage at 332,256 acres, down 11% from the prior season. The net loss of 43,046 acres was 11,000 acres more than was lost the previous season. New plantings at 6,203 acres were down from the previous season. All …
Summary of the 2022–23 Florida Citrus Season
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) summarized Florida citrus production, value and exports last season in its new Florida Citrus Statistics 2022–23 report. PRODUCTION Florida’s total citrus production in 2022–23 was 18.1 million boxes, down 60% from the previous season’s 45.3 million boxes. Florida’s orange production, at 15.8 million boxes, was down 62% from the previous season. …
Production of Israeli Citrus to Decline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported that production of all Israeli citrus varieties is forecast to decline in 2023–24 compared to the previous season. Israel’s planted citrus area is forecast to be 16,200 hectares, the same as the prior year. USDA FAS reported that low profitability and water shortages have disincentivized farmers from planting new …
Morocco’s Citrus Crops to Rise
Morocco’s tangerine/mandarin and lemon/lime production are both forecast to climb in 2023–24 compared to the prior season, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS Production in 2023–24 is forecast to reach 950,000 metric tons (MT), up 3% from the previous season. The increase is largely due to intensified irrigation efforts aimed …
Ups and Downs Expected for EU Citrus Crops
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected the European Union (EU) tangerine and mandarin crop will decline in 2023–24. The EU grapefruit crop is expected to rise compared to the prior season. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS EU tangerine and mandarin production in 2023–24 is forecast at 2.7 million metric tons (MMT), down from 2.8 MMT in …
Aging Farmers Contribute to Japan’s Citrus Downtrend
Japan’s citrus planted area and production are on a long-term downward trend. Reasons cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) are aging farmers, labor shortages and a lack of successors for running farms. In a December annual report, USDA FAS summarized production, planted area and trade for each of Japan’s citrus varieties. TANGERINES/MANDARINS After a …
Increased Production of Citrus Crops in China
China production forecasts are increased for both mandarin/tangerine and grapefruit/pomelo crops in 2023–24 compared to the prior year. The forecasts were issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). MANDARINS/TANGERINES China’s mandarin/tangerine production is forecast at 26.9 million metric tons (MMT) in 2023–24, up from 26.5 MMT the previous year. The increase is because of a …
Soft Citrus Forecast Up in South Africa
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has forecast that South Africa’s tangerine/mandarin production will total 740,000 metric tons in 2023–24, up 4% from the prior season. Young trees coming into production is a primary reason for the increase. PLANTING EXPANSION SLOWSSouth Africa has 27,500 hectares of tangerines/mandarins, also known as soft citrus. The rapid expansion in …
Chilean Citrus Copes With Competition and Weather
The Chilean Citrus Committee, which recently reported a strong export season, also discussed the challenges of competition and inclement weather that its citrus exporters face. “It (2023) was a season that ended with many challenges, such as growing competition,” said Juan Enrique Ortuzar, president of the committee. “The competition did not disappear, but we had favorable circumstances that allowed …
Mexico Expects Citrus Crop Increases
Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently reported that Mexico produced more than 8 million tons of lemons, oranges and grapefruit in 2022. It stated that Mexico was in second, third and fourth place in world production of lemons, grapefruit and oranges, respectively. The ministry also pointed out many of the health benefits of consuming citrus. LEMONSFigures from the …
Economist Provides Brazilian Citrus Update
Agriculture is the driving force in the Brazilian economy, and Brazil is a leading food supplier to the global market, economist Marisa Zansler told the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) at its last meeting. Zansler is director of economic and market research at the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). She visited Brazil in August and provided the FCC with an update …
MRL Compliance Crucial for Citrus Exporters
Maximum residue limits (MRLs) are a constant concern for growers. MRL issues can create a variety of obstacles depending on which market citrus exports are destined for. While the industry generally complies well with MRLs, caution is crucial as they can be a significant hurdle. Jim Cranney, president of the California Citrus Quality Council, said certain markets can be more …
Australian Citrus Season Sees Improvement
There have been signs of improvement for the Australian citrus industry in the 2023 season compared to 2022. Among other things, Citrus Australia Chief Executive Officer Nathan Hancock said fruit quality has improved this season. The tail end of the 2023 harvest has been particularly strong from a quality perspective, according to Hancock. “While the earlier fruit this season struggled …
Egyptian Citrus Imports Would Be ‘Calamity’ for California Growers
Egyptian citrus could be on the way to the U.S. market after a request was made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A pest risk assessment has been drafted by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Jim Cranney, president of the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC), said the assessment is for fresh oranges and tangerines, which would …
Worldwide Citrus Production Down in All Categories
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently estimated that world citrus production is down for oranges, mandarins, orange juice (OJ), grapefruit and lemons/limes. For all categories, production will be lower in 2022–23 than in the prior year. OJGlobal OJ production for 2022–23 is estimated 9% lower to 1.5 million metric tons (MMT). Production is down due …