In 2022, the volume of citrus that Peru exported decreased by 2% over the previous year. It was a year in which over costs, especially shipping freight -which ranged between 9,000 and 12,000 dollars depending on the destination-, had a great impact on the industry. “In many cases, these increases are higher than the expected profitability in the cultivation of citrus; a business of few margins and high volumes,” stated the president of the Association of Citrus Producers of Peru (Procitrus), Cesar Pescheira.
At the commercial level, the business was affected by the Russia-Ukraine war, which altered the normal supply of the volumes that were sent to the European market, and the decrease in generalized consumption.
Conditions in the foreign market were so complicated that the volumes of citrus fruits that historically record fewer returns, including tangelos and oranges, plummeted in 2022. Tangelo and orange shipments fell by 35% and 57%, respectively. Meanwhile, Eureka lemon exports have increased because it is a novelty and a new line of business.”
“The volumes are still very small, but it is interesting that it grew by 113%, going from 1,822 tons in 2021 to 3,886 tons in 2022. This indicates that citrus investors are betting on a new line of business or are thinking about changing citrus varieties.”
“Satsumas experienced an 18% contraction”
The development in the mandarin segment has been different depending on the varieties. “The volume of Murcott mandarins, for example, didn't increase; it remained the same as last year. In contrast, Tango grew by 17%. Meanwhile, Satsuma experienced an 18% contraction.”
As for the clementines, “great efforts and tests were made to see how they behaved, but those experiences have not been totally successful,” Pescheira stated. “There were some specific cases that worked out well, but that wasn't the norm. Lately, producers are installing other varieties, such as Orri, Nova, and Primosole, apparently with good results. Unfortunately, W. Murcott and Tango have been planted in many areas and I think we are already delivering a lot of these fruits to the market.”
Source: redagricola.com