In W25 in the orange landscape, South Africa's citrus industry is recovering from a challenging 2022 harvest season, with a strong orange crop and high demand from European and UK markets. South African oranges are filling the supply gap in Europe as the Spanish citrus harvest concludes and the limited supply is available. Also, rains and floods in W25 have severely impacted Citrusdal, a significant production area in South Africa. These conditions have caused road damage and road closures, making it impossible to transport fruit by truck. South Africa saw a 13.0% increase in exports to the EU, contributing to a 39.5% share. In the first five months of 2023, the EU imported 366.2 thousand tons of oranges, a 70.8% YoY increase and a 30.3% increase compared to the five-year average. Egypt accounted for a 94.9% share of EU imports, with Egypt experiencing a 97% increase. Morocco's exports fell by 81.9% compared to 2022 and 89.4% compared to the five-year average, resulting in a 0.8% share. The highest import volumes were recorded in March 2023, with over 90 thousand tons per month. May 2023 saw a substantial increase in imports, reaching 102.5 thousand tons, representing a 108.7% growth compared to May 2022.
Egypt exported record volumes of oranges to India in the first half of the 2022/23 season, despite volatile exports, with an all-time high in 2020/21. Egyptian exporters exported 40 thousand tons of oranges to India in the first six months of the current season, the largest amount in recent years. Factors such as Egyptian orange production returning to normal levels in 2022 and the devaluation of the Egyptian pound in 2022/23 make Egyptian products more competitive in foreign markets. The UAE is increasing its orange exports to India annually, mainly by re-exporting oranges sourced from South Africa. From February to June 2023, Egypt faces limited competition in the Indian market, but imports start to decline in July 2023 when the market shifts to the southern hemisphere. From October to January, the Indian market is dominated by locally grown oranges, and the need for imports during this period is minimal. Lastly, Chile is anticipating a 6.1% growth in orange production, reaching 174 thousand mt, due to favorable weather conditions with increased rainfall and no frost damage. Export volumes are expected to increase by 4.7%, reaching 90 thousand mt. In the previous season (2021/22), orange exports from Chile experienced a decline of 22.6% compared to the 2020/21 season, with a total of 81,062 mt. Chile exported oranges to various countries including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Canada.
