EU citrus cultivation in 2023/24 will be limited

The EU citrus harvest in 2023/24 will be limited by a combination of drought, water irrigation restrictions and unusually high temperatures during crucial growth stages. The production potential is expected to remain at a similar level to the small harvest of 2022/23. Although the harvest of oranges, mandarins and tangerines has decreased, this decrease is compensated by an increase in lemons and grapefruit. Imports are gaining market share at the expense of domestic production, due to weak demand due to inflation. For the 2023/24 harvest season, a total EU citrus harvest of 9.9 million tonnes is expected, which is very similar to the previous year's levels but below the historical average. Despite the expected stability in the total citrus cultivation, divergent trends are visible between different citrus categories. Oranges and mandarins/tangerines, which together make up almost 85 percent of the European citrus harvest, show a decline of two and five percent respectively. On ...