The Asoex Citrus Committee forecasts the volume of citrus exports will increase by 6% in the 2021 season. This means the country will export a total shipment volume of 387,000 tons. According to the forecasts, the greatest increase will be in mandarins with an 11% variation over the previous season, followed by clementines with 7%. Lemons will present a 3% variation while oranges will have no variation.
The increase in citrus exports is due to the increase in plantations during the last decade. "There are a total of 22,230 planted hectares, 8,427 of which correspond to mandarin plantations, 7,376 hectares to lemons, 6,260 to oranges, and 167 to grapefruits," stated Juan Enrique Ortuzar, the president of the Citrus Committee.
By species
The country is expected to export 55,000 tons of clementines this season, i.e. 7% more than in the previous season. The export volume for mandarins will be 145,000 tons, which translates into an 11% increase over the previous period.
Oranges exports will amount to 89,000 tons, in line with the previous season.
Finally, lemons exports are expected to grow by 3% amounting to 98,000 tons this year.
According to Juan Enrique Ortuzar, the estimates are favorable and are due to the increase in rains there was in 2020 in the Central area and in the water reserve in the Norte Chico reservoirs. "Last year's rains gave us more peace of mind to face this season with less uncertainty than the previous one and to project it with optimism."
Destination Markets
The United States is the main destination market, receiving about 85% of total shipments. It is followed by the Far East and Europe, which account for about 9% and 3% of shipments, respectively. Canada, Latin America, and the Middle East receive lower volumes.
China, a market that opened its doors to Chilean citrus fruits during the 2020 season, imported a total of 1,031 tons of mandarins, 404 tons of oranges, 46 tons of clementines, and 5,650 tons of lemons from Chile last year.
For more information:
Asoex Citrus Committee