Bumper orange crop in store

The world’s orange crop is expected to reach an 8-year high of 54.3 million tons in the 2018/19 campaign. The favourable weather conditions have fostered large harvests in the US and Brazil. Consumption is estimated to be up. South Africa and Egypt remain the top two suppliers, accounting for a combined 60% of world exports. Egypt’s production is expected to reach a record 3.4 million tons (+10%) thanks to an expanded production area. Exports are estimated to rise 4% to 1.6 million tons. Good weather has also produced a strong EU crop (+4% to 6.5 million tons).

As a large proportion of the US and Brazilian crops is for processing, global fresh exports are slightly down. The rebound in US production is thanks to the return to more normal conditions in Florida (where 95% of the crop is for processing), after the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma in the previous year. Good weather is also to thank for the rise in Brazil’s production (+26% to 20.2 million tons). In contrast, China’s production is down slightly to 7.2 million tons due to unfavourable weather.