According to the forecast of the Citrus Committee of the Chilean Fruit Merchants Association (ASOEX), the export volume of citrus in 2021 will increase by 6%, and the total shipment volume will reach 387,000 tons.
Among them, tangerines increased the most, with a year-on-year increase of 11%, reaching 145,000 tons. Followed by small citrus, an increase of 7% year-on-year, reaching 55,000 tons. Lemon increased by 3% year-on-year to 98,000 tons. Oranges are expected to be the same as last year, about 89,000 tons.
The increase in citrus exports is attributed to the expansion of the planting area in the past 10 years. Juan Enrique Ortúzar, chairman of the Citrus Committee, said that the total area of citrus planted in Chile has reached 22,230 hectares, of which oranges account for 8,427 hectares, lemons account for 7,376 hectares, oranges account for 6,260 hectares, and grapefruit account for 167 hectares. Coupled with the increase in precipitation in the central region in 2020, the Norte Chico Reservoir has sufficient water storage capacity, and the uncertainty faced by this season is less than that of the previous year.
At present, the United States is the main export destination of Chilean citrus, accounting for about 85% of total shipments. Followed by the Far East and Europe, accounting for 9% and 3% respectively. At the end of 2019, China has admitted five types of citrus fruits in Chile. In 2020, Chilean citrus will officially enter the Chinese market. Last year's total shipments reached 1031 tons of oranges, 404 tons of oranges, 46 tons of small oranges and 5650 tons of lemons.