Chilean citrus reaches new heights in 2015
Chilean citrus reaches new heights in 2015
With strong retail and consumer demand, Chile shipped nearly 204,000 tons of Navels, lemons and easy peelers (clementines and Mandarins) globally, with 165,000 tons, or 81 percent, coming to the United States and Canada between May and October.
Total citrus exports from Chile climbed 30 percent over the previous season. Looking at global Chilean citrus export figures, easy peelers represented 37 percent, oranges 33 percent and lemons 30 percent. The largest increase in terms of shipping volumes vs. last season corresponded to late Mandarins (57 percent), followed by lemons (43 percent), oranges (18 percent) and then clementines (11 percent).
North America remains the primary destination for Chilean citrus, taking 81 percent of Chile’s citrus export volume.
“We’ve had an incredible season in North America,” Juan Enrique Ortúzar, chairman of the Chilean Citrus Committee, said in a press release. “Despite strong competing supplies from South Africa, Australia, Uruguay and Peru, we obtained double-digit volume increases and strong market conditions across all commodities.”
The most striking growth was seen in Mandarins, as North America volume skyrocketed to 42,124 tons from 27,354 tons — an increase of 54 percent.
Karen Brux, managing director for the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, directed the promotion campaign for Chilean Citrus. According to Brux, an important shift has taken place within the citrus industry.
“With the significant investment that’s been made in the marketing of Mandarins, in particular, there is now strong year-round demand for easy peelers,” she said. “Despite the more than 50 percent increase in Mandarin volume out of Chile, we still had to cancel some promotions due to tight supply. This clearly demonstrates continued growth opportunities for Chilean citrus in North America.”
Ortúzar added that the industry is testing and evaluating new citrus varieties, mostly Mandarins, as the Chilean citrus industry seeks to drive the industry forward.
“We foresee 20 percent annual growth in combined volume of clementines and Mandarins for at least the next three years, so total volume will exceed 100,000 tons in the short term,” he said.
