Peruvian mandarin start of the season

Fresh Mandarin

Peru

Market & Price Trends

Published Jul 8, 2021

Peruvian mandarin harvest season starts in mid-January with the early varieties and finishes around December with the late varieties. The exports season is between April and August. The 2021 Peruvian mandarins export season started in April. By May, it has exported 30.2% more than in the same period of 2020 due to the increase in production of early varieties such as Okitsu and Owari.

Peruvian mandarin harvest season starts in mid-January with the early varieties and finishes around December with the late varieties. The exports season is between April and August when the harvest is completed representing around 82% of the total production volume. The main mandarine varieties produced in Peru and their seasonalities can be found in the calendar below:

Mandarines varieties and seasonalities in Peru

Source: ProCitrus

Peruvian mandarin production has been on an upward trend for the last 5 years, with an increase of 30% in 2020 in comparison with 2016. This increase in production allowed the country to increase the exports of mandarins and set Peru as the main supplier of mandarins. Record crop in 2020 and increased consumption of Vitamin C have granted Peru an increase of 30% in exports reaching USD 234 million. The record-high export volume allowed an increase in its world export share to 5%. The main importers of the Peruvian mandarines of HS Code 080521 were the US (50%), the UK (11.6%), the Netherlands (10%), Canada (7.1%), and Russia (5.3%).

Source: Tridge, FAO

Source: Tridge, ITC

The 2021 Peruvian mandarins export season started in April. By May, it has exported 30.2% more than in the same period of 2020 due to the increase in production of early varieties such as Okitsu and Owari. Peruvian exporters expect a slower increase in overall citrus exports compared to last year but still showing an increase of 10%. The mandarin exporters await the peak of harvest in July to check the overall results of the segment.

The Satsuma mandarin wholesale price in Peru was USD 0.58 to USD 0.75 per kg on June 21st, which is 19 cents cheaper than the highest price recorded on June 29th of 2020. Since the beginning of the harvest in April the prices have been decreasing and are expected to hit the lowest level between August and September if the same trend as 2020 repeats.

Peruvian Satsuma mandarine wholesale prices

Source: Tridge

New opportunity to Peruvian citrus: Uruguay

Last month, Uruguay finally signed the agreement to allow Peruvian citrus to enter the country. The phytosanitary agreement requires that the mandarins, oranges, and grapefruits are submitted to a cold treatment to avoid the fruit flies from entering the country, except for limes. This agreement will further help Peruvian exports to increase, and help producers diversify their buyers.