Typhoons and greening disease hit China citrus crop

China is one of the biggest citrus growers in the world. The country produces around 16 million tons of citrus fruit each year. The last two seasons the citrus industry has been hit hard. Typhoons have battered the South coast repeatedly and greening disease took almost 10% of total production away in 2014.

2015 mandarin harvest at Xiamen Rayen

“The 2015 season has not been particularly good for us. Plantations in Southern China have been damaged by typhoons over summer. Greening disease has done a lot of damage, especially in Jiangxi Province,” says Cherrie Yang of Xiamen Rayen, Zhangzhou County at the East coast of China.

“We supply pomelo, oranges and mandarins to Chinese supermarkets. Wholesale prices are 20% lower than in last season. This might be caused by the financial uproar China is experiencing since the summer. Pomelo wholesale prices teeter around 4.50 Yuan per kilogram (€0.65). Navel oranges are sold at 7 Yuan (€1) and mandarins at 3.5 Yuan (€0.50). Pomelo exports have been hit by the weak Euro. And, despite the fact that prices in China have come down, total export to Europa has decreased almost 20% compared to last year.”

Mandarins packed and ready for sale

The Upper and Middle Yangtze River region produces oranges that are famous for their use in the processing and juice industry. This is also Asia's largest orange production base. Navel oranges are grown in Hunan Province and in the South of Jiangxi Province.

Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong Province produce fresh and canned mandarins. Canned mandarins are for the greater part exported. Chinese consumers prefer fresh fruit and most fresh citrus is sold on the domestic market. In addition, China exports an estimated half a million ton of fresh citrus a year. These are mostly easy peelers destined for Southeast Asia, Russia and the Middle East.

The two most widespread mandarin varieties are the Satsuma with 60% of total production and the Penkan/Lugan, accounting for 30% of total production. Popular orange varieties are the Jin (33%), Navel (20%), Red River, Bingtang (20%) and Valencia. Citrus harvest season runs from September until the beginning of March.

China is becoming a big importer of citrus. Main export countries that supply the Chinese market are South Africa, Australia, Chile, Egypt and Israel. Xiamen Rayen Co., Ltd. exports pomelos to the EU, Navel oranges to Middle East and Russia.

For more information:

Cherrie Yang
Xiamen Rayen Co., Ltd.
www.rayengroup.com
Phone+86 13625008165
E-mail: cherrie@rayengoup.com