On Nov. 29 at Espacio Riesco, in Santiago, Chile, the 2023 Citrus Conference was organized by the Citrus Committee of Frutas de Chile and showcased innovation and research to members of the industry and its impact on productivity, quality, and availability, considering sustainability as a central pillar.

"Our main focus as a citrus committee is to figure out where we have problems, and these occasions are really good because we can talk about development and productivity. Currently, Chilean citrus is well positioned in our main market, the United States, however, we must overcome and address various issues to maintain our reputation over time," said Juan Enrique Ortúzar, president of the Citrus Committee.

Regarding export destinations, 98% percent of Chilean clementines go to the United States, 93% of mandarins, and 91% of oranges. In the case of lemons, Chile sends 61% of its production to the U.S.

According to Ortuzar, Chile is the second largest citrus exporter out of the southern hemisphere after South Africa, competing heavily with Australia and Argentina. 

Of the four million tons exported from the southern hemisphere, Chile represents 9%, and South Africa has the largest share with 79% of world production.

“We are very focused on a single market (U.S.A), and we have to take into account the significant growth of the industry in recent years. Chile is close to 400,000 tons in production volume and over $400 million dollars in FOB value. However, in the last three years we have experienced some stagnation", says Ortúzar.

This stagnation referred to by the president of the Citrus Committee has also occurred in Peru as well as South Africa which is the largest citrus producer in the world.

Season projections and numbers

This season Chile will send about 220,00 tons of mandarins to the United States, reclaiming its place as a supplier of this species. Peru is a little declined in these shipments, but the market for mandarins will continue to grow over time, as well as exporters. To date, Chile has shipped 168,561 tons to its destination markets.

To date, Chile has exported 60,619 tons of clementines, 157,705 tons of mandarins, 85,246 tons of oranges, and 41,493 tons of tangerines to the United States, a total of 345,063 tons of citrus.