According to the "Citrus: World Markets and Trade" report released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2020/21, global citrus production is estimated to increase by 4% to 98 million tons. Oranges account for half of the total production, followed by mandarins, lemons/limes and grapefruits. China is the largest producing area, followed by Brazil and the European Union.
It is estimated that during this period, the global citrus export volume is 11 million tons, of which oranges account for more than 40% and mandarins account for nearly 30%. The growth of citrus exports was mainly driven by oranges (mainly China, South Africa and Turkey) and lemons (mainly Mexico, South Africa and Turkey). Overall, South Africa is the largest citrus exporter, followed by Turkey and Egypt.
Oranges
In 2020/21, global orange production is estimated to increase by 2.5 million tons over the previous year, reaching 48.6 million tons. This is because favorable weather has prompted increased production in Brazil (up 7%) and Mexico (up nearly 60%).
It is estimated that due to strong winds and high temperatures affecting flowering and fruit setting, Egypt’s output will decrease by 6% to 3.4 million tons. Due to reduced domestic supply, exports are expected to decline, but they are still expected to account for one-third of global trade. It is expected that the export market will continue to be dominated by the European Union, Russia, Saudi Arabia and China.
Tangerine
Global mandarin production is expected to increase by 4% in 2020/21, reaching a record 33.3 million tons, with growth in almost every producing country. Consumption and exports have increased due to increased supply. In the past 20 years, growth in China, the European Union, Turkey and the United States has led to a continuous increase in global mandarin production and consumption.
Grapefruit
It is estimated that due to unfavorable weather in the United States and Turkey, global grapefruit production in 2020/21 will fall by less than 1% to 6.7 million tons, greatly offsetting the growth in production in China, Mexico and South Africa. Global consumption is expected to be flat, while exports are expected to increase slightly.