Mexico’s citrus crop up 3% in 2018/19

Citrus production in Mexico is expected to increase in 2018/19 thanks to optimal weather conditions and improved yields. Fresh orange and lime production is forecast to continue to grow. Due to the decrease in orange production in Florida, fresh fruit exports to the US for processing from the north of Mexico have increased. Orange producers indicate a strong demand from processors due to attractive orange juice future prices.

Orange production area is stable at 341,000 hectares planted, but productivity is up to approximately 14.3 tons per hectare. Although no official forecast has been published, the USDA forecast for Mexico’s 2018/19 orange harvest is 4.6 million tons. The state of Veracruz is by far the largest producer of oranges, with 50% of the planted area and 51% of production. The main variety is Valencia. Approximately US$1.85 million dollars have been dedicated to a citrus greening campaign to protect orchards in Veracruz. Producer prices from Veracruz began in November 2018 at US$0.10/Kg.