For marketing year (MY) 2021/22, there are revised estimates for fresh lemon production to 1.90 million metric tons (MMT), up by 15 percent, due to favorable weather conditions.
Fresh orange production is projected to increase to 920,000 metric tons (MT), and fresh tangerine production is expected to increase to 400,000 MT. Recent relatively favorable weather conditions for both sweet citrus fruits have allowed trees to recuperate from a stressful period characterized by drought followed by heavy rains.
Lemon exports are projected to increase to 250,000 MT due to larger production, and sweet citrus exports are expected to increase slightly to 65,000 MT for tangerines and to 88,000 MT for oranges. Container availability shortages and higher fleet costs, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and global inflation, are impacting the activity of the Argentine citrus industry, increasing export costs by 100 percent.
Export destinations
During MY 2020/21, the Argentine citrus sector managed to diversify fruit exports shifting destinations from the EU and Russia into other significant markets such as the United States and Canada, and non-traditional markets such as Mexico, China, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia. Argentina is beginning to have a presence in other Asian markets as well.
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Source: apps.fas.usda.gov