In MY 2023/24, the drop registered in EU orange and mandarin production was not compensated by the larger lemon and grapefruit output. EU citrus production is concentrated in the Mediterranean region. Spain and Italy represent the leading EU citrus producers, followed by Greece, Portugal, and Cyprus.
The EU is a net importer of citrus fruits, with imports largely exceeding exports. A large amount of trade takes place internally, from producing to non-producing EU Member States. With trade through Asian routes becoming increasingly challenging, EU neighboring citrus producers in the Mediterranean Basin (such as Egypt or Turkey) are concentrating their export efforts in the EU. This has been particularly true during the first half of the marketing year, coinciding with the Northern Hemisphere citrus producing season and resulting in increasing competition in the region. EU citrus exports in MY 2023/24, largely concentrated in non-EU Member European countries, are projected to decline only marginally.
After hitting record volumes during the pandemic, fresh citrus consumption is anticipated to return to pre-pandemic levels. In MY 2023/24, the mild winter conditions discouraged citrus intake. Moreover, the downwards trend in consumption is driven by some consumers responding to inflation by watching their expenditures and reducing fruits consumption, whereas others increasingly opt for non-citrus fruits, such as tropical fruits. EU citrus industrial uses, which only account for a small portion of consumption, are anticipated to expand as new markets for citrus products arise.
In MY 2023/24, EU orange production is projected at just above 5.4 million MT, slightly down from the already short EU orange crop obtained in MY 2022/23. Orange production is the largest citrus category within the EU, and Spain accounts for 50 percent of the bloc's production. Excessive rains during fruit setting, drought and warm conditions, and irrigation restrictions hampered yields and negatively affected fruit sizes. The better output in Italy did not suffice to compensate for the productivity losses in Spain and, to a lesser extent, in Greece and Portugal.
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Source: fas.usda.gov