U.S. Citrus Production Down 19% in 2021/22 Season
- The USDA National Ag Statistics Service published its annual Citrus Fruits Summary for 2022.
- Citrus utilized production for the 2021-22 season totaled 5.61 million tons, down 19 percent from the 2020-21 season. California accounted for 62 percent of total United States citrus production; Florida totaled 36 percent, and Texas and Arizona produced the remaining 2 percent.
- Utilized citrus production in California was down 16 percent from the 2020-21 season. California’s all orange production, at 40.4 million boxes, is 18 percent lower than the previous season. Grapefruit production is down 2 percent from the 2020-21 season and tangerine and mandarin production is down 40 percent. Lemon production is up 16 percent from the 2020-21 season while fresh utilization is down approximately 7 percent.
- The value of the 2021-22 United States citrus crop was down 13 percent from last season, to 2.91 billion (packinghouse door equivalent). Orange value of production decreased 9 percent from last season and grapefruit value is down 27 percent. Tangerine and mandarin value of production is down 18 percent from last season and lemon value of production is down 13 percent from last season.
Chilean Clementine Exports Down 39%
- The Chilean Citrus Committee published a summary (in Spanish) of the 2022 Chilean mandarin export season.
- As of week 32 of their export season, Chile had exported 41,832 tons of Clementines – a 39% decline from 2021. The committee attributes the decline to a severe drought in the Coquimbo region.
- Of clementine exports, 98.6% were exported to the United States, with 29,928 tons (73% of shipments) sent to the East Coast and 11,330 tons (27% of shipments) sent to the West Coast.
Spanish Lemon Production Forecast to Increase in 2022/23
- On July 20, the Spanish Lemon and Grapefruit Interbranch Organization (AILIMPO) published (in Spanish) its first lemon forecast for the 2022/23 season.
- AILIMPO estimates a production volume of 1.15 million tons during the 2022/23 season, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
- Over the past 7 years, planted lemon area has increased 34%, reaching 124,540 acres.
- AILIMPO will publish its next crop forecast at the end of September.
Notes on Argentina’s Lemon Season
- The Citrus Association of Northwest Argentina (ACNOA) estimates (in Spanish) that up to 200,000 metric tons (MT) or 10-15% of the total lemon crop will not be harvested this growing season due to rising production and harvesting costs, lower international prices, higher freight costs, and a devalued Euro. In response to the weakened export outlook, ACNOA is searching for alternative, domestic markets, aiming to replace imported citric acid in the medium- to long-term.
- Per statistics published by ACNOA, exports to Europe have grown by about 17% to 135,503 MT compared to 2021 by week 34, recovering beyond their 2020 levels of 132,485 MT after a dip of about 12% in 2021. Exports to the U.S. are still about 23% lower compared to 2021, while exports to Russia are up 21% year-over-year, but not yet reaching 2020 levels. ACNOA reports to have exported a total of 54,561 MT of lemons to the U.S. as of week 34. The Jan-Jul year-to-date exports to the U.S. reported by Trade Data Monitor amount to 47,914 MT.
Articles are property of CCM; please seek permission from CCM for the use of articles and content in any way.
