The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), stated that Mexico had consolidated itself as the fifth largest producer of oranges in the world, with an average volume of 4.2 million tons that were sold in the domestic and international markets.
The main producing entities of this citrus are Veracruz, which contributes 44.5 percent of the national volume; Tamaulipas, 14.6 percent, and San Luis Potosi, 8.8 percent. Together these states account for 67.9 percent of the total harvest in the country.
Other producing states include Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Yucatan, Sonora, Tabasco, Hidalgo, and Oaxaca, among others.
Mexico's orange production is estimated to be worth more than six billion pesos. The country has an annual per capita consumption of 37.1 kilograms and accounts for 22.5 percent of the volume of fruit produced in the country.
The production of this fruit increases from November to April and peaks between February and April.
According to data from the Agricultural Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP) that can be found in the 2016 Agricultural Food Atlas, in 2015 Mexico produced 4.5 million tons of oranges, an amount that is higher than the average of the last 10 years.
Orange exports in 2015 amounted to 17.7 million dollars with an export volume of 49,200 tons, which were sold in the US, Canada, UK, and Japan, among others nations. Additionally, the country is exploring the possibility of opening potential markets in Germany, Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong.
In the last 10 years, orange exports had 15.7 percent average annual growth rate, going from 4.1 million dollars to 17.7 million dollars obtained in 2015.
Up to September 2016, Mexico had produced 3,547,000 tons, i.e. 9.1 percent more than in the same period of the previous year.
Source: cdnoticias.com.mx