USDA Publishes Several Citrus Fruit Annual Reports

Over December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) published several Citrus Annual Reports.

Lemons/Limes:

FAS forecasts that lemon acreage in marketing year (MY) 2022/23 will increase by 5.7% to 21,004 acres from the previous year due to the growing profitability of lemons.
FAS estimates that lemon production in MY 2021/22 decreased by 30% to 140,000 metric tons (MT) from the previous year due to winter frosts. FAS forecasts that Chile’s lemon production in MY 2022/23 will reach 200,000 MT, assuming no unexpected climatic events impact production.
Lemon exports for MY 2021/22 decreased by 43.6% to 60,000 MT due to the frost. FAS estimates that lemon exports in MY 2022/23 will rebound to reach 100,000 MT, assuming normal production.
The U.S. is Chile’s largest lemon export market, accounting for 64.4% of exports by volume in MY 2020/21, followed by Japan, China, and South Korea.

Oranges:

FAS forecasts that orange acreage in MY 2022/23 will increase by 0.5% to 158,145 acres.
FAS estimates that orange production in MY 2021/22 decreased by 18% to 164,000 MT due to frosts, however in MY 2022/23, orange production is forecast to increase by 22% to 200,000 MT, assuming normal production.
Orange exports for MY 2021/22 decreased by 18% to 85,860 MT due to lower production. FAS estimates that orange exports in MY 2022/23 will improve and total 105,000 MT.
The U.S. is Chile’s largest orange export market, accounting for 92% of exports by volume in MY 2020/21, followed by Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Canada.

Tangerines/Mandarins:

FAS forecasts that mandarin acreage in MY 2021/22 increased by 32.6% to 27,661 acres due to increased profitability for this crop.
FAS estimates that mandarin production in MY 2021/22 decreased by 26.1% to 170,000 MT due to frosts, however they predict that production for MY 2022/23 will increase by 39.4% to 237,000 MT due to increased acreage (assuming no adverse climatic events).
Mandarin exports for MY 2021/22 decreased by 25.8% to 144,000 MT due to lower production. FAS estimates that mandarin export volumes in MY 2022/23 will increase by 38.9% to 200,000 MT as yields return to normal.
The U.S. is Chile’s largest mandarin export market, accounting for 94.0% of exports by volume in MY 2020/21, followed by Canada, the UK, and Puerto Rico.

Lemon/Limes:

FAS forecasts that lemon/lime acreage in MY 2022/23 will marginally increase by <1% to 536,219 acres due to disease/pests and farmers switching to other crops.
FAS estimates that lemon/lime production in MY 2021/22 was 2.95 MMT, Mexico’s highest production level to date. FAS forecasts that in MY 2022/23 lemon/lime production will decrease by 7% to 2.8 MMT.
Lemon/lime exports for MY 2021/22 are estimated to be 678,000 MT and are forecast to decrease in MY 2022/23 by 11.5% due to lower supply. The U.S. remains Mexico’s largest lemon/lime export market, accounting for over 97% of exports by volume, followed by the Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Russia.

Oranges:

FAS estimates that orange acreage in MY 2021/22 was 850,747 acres, a marginal increase from the previous year. FAS forecasts that orange acreage in MY 2022/23 will also increase marginally by 2.2% to 869,811 acres. These small increases are attributed to climate unpredictability.
FAS estimates that orange production in MY 2021/22 decreased by 1% to 4.6 MMT due to adverse climate change effects, high temperatures, and lack of water. Further, FAS forecasts that orange production in MY 2022/23 will decrease by 9% to 4.2 MMT due to a prolonged drought in northeastern Mexico.
Orange exports for MY 2022/23 are forecast to remain unchanged at 75,000 MT from the previous year due to decreased production. The U.S. remains Mexico’s largest orange export market, accounting for over 97% of exports by volume.

Grapefruit:

FAS estimates that grapefruit acreage in MY 2021/22 increased by 1.2% to 52,925 acres. FAS forecasts that grapefruit acreage in MY 2022/23 will increase marginally by <1% to 53,128 acres.
FAS estimates that grapefruit production in MY 2021/22 decreased by 8% to 453,000 MT. FAS forecasts that in MY 2022/23 grapefruit production will decrease by 7.3% to 420,000 MT due to higher production and logistical costs and potential temporary yield declines.
Grapefruit exports for MY 2021/22 are estimated to decrease to 17,000 MT due to weather issues. FAS forecasts that exports in MY 2022/23 will increase by 17.6% to 20,000 MT. In MY 2021/22 the U.S. was Mexico’s largest grapefruit export market, accounting for over 52% exports by volume, followed by Japan (23%), the Netherlands (16%), and Canada (5%).

Lemons/Limes:

FAS forecasts that lemon/lime production in MY 2022/23 will decrease by 6.3% to 1,500,000 MMT despite improved production in Italy and Greece, due to production decline in Spain from poor weather conditions.
Lemon/lime exports for MY 2022/23 are expected to slightly decrease by 1.4% to 140,000 MT. In MY 2021/22, the UK, Switzerland, and Norway remained the top lemon/lime export markets.

Oranges:

FAS forecasts that orange production in MY 2022/23 will decrease by 12% to 5.8 MMT due to declines in Spain and Italy from poor weather, droughts, and poor flowering/setting conditions.
While orange exports for MY 2022/23 are forecast to decrease by 3.2% to 390,000 MT, the EU remains the world’s top orange exporter. Main orange export destinations are the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Serbia, and Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Tangerines/Mandarins:

FAS estimates that mandarin production in MY 2021/22 decreased by 4.8% to 3 MMT due to a production decline in Spain from poor weather conditions.
Mandarin exports for MY 2022/23 are forecast to decrease by 6.8% to 300,000 MT due to the lower Spanish production. In MY 2021/22, the EU’s top mandarin export destinations were the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ukraine, Belarus, Norway, and Canada.

Grapefruit:

FAS forecasts that grapefruit production in MY 2022/23 will decrease by 1.8% to 109,000 MT due to lower production in Spain, which accounts for 75% of the EU’s grapefruit production.
Grapefruit exports for MY 2022/23 are forecasted to decrease by 11.8% to 15,000 MT due to tight domestic supply and logistics constraints. In MY 2021/22, the EU’s top grapefruit export destinations were United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belarus, and Ukraine.

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