According to the data published in the 'Spring 2020' Citrus Survey prepared by the Directorate of Agricultural Statistics (DIEA) of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MGAP), the country harvested a total of 217,493 tons of citrus fruits in the 2020 campaign, taking account of oranges, lemons, mandarins, and grapefruits, i.e. 10% less than in the previous harvest.
According to the document, orange production decreased by 23% and stood at 88,537 tons. Grapefruit production decreased by 21% over the previous year totaling 628 tons, and mandarin production fell by 1% totaling 77,800 tons. Meanwhile, lemon increased by 7% and amounted to 50,528 tons.
95,870 tons were exported (44%); 89,185 tons (41%) were destined for the domestic market; 31,343 tons (14%) were allocated to the industry, and 1,278 tons (1%) had other destinations.
The analysis highlights that 47% of the oranges and 49% of the mandarins were exported. The lemon's main destination was the industry, as 41% of the production was destined for it. Meanwhile, 95% of the grapefruit was sent to the domestic market.
The citrus area in 2020 reached 14,774 hectares, with almost 7.2 million total plants, 6 million of which (82%) are in production. The current average density is 493 plants per hectare and the overall average yield for this crop is 43 kilograms per plant.
Source: elobservador.com.uy
