World Citrus Organization (WCO) members met Thursday for their fifth annual general meeting, during which the entity presented its preliminary Southern Hemisphere forecast for 2024.

Adverse weather conditions around the globe negatively impacted yields, but expectations have improved, WCO said in a release, leading to only a slight drop in production.

Citrus volumes are expected to decrease by 0.77% year-on-year, with an estimated production of 24.3 million metric tons (26.8 million US tons). However, trade is expected to continue increasing, with a projected 7.45% growth compared to 2023. With this, exports are estimated to reach 4.1 million MT.

The estimate contains data from the major citrus-producing countries, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay.

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Orange production is forecasted to decrease by 5.66% compared to 2023, with 15.4 million MT. Soft citrus production is expected to increase significantly by 11.58% to 3.3 million MT. 

A 5.69% increase is projected for lemon production to 3.2 million MT, while grapefruit production could decline by 3.89% to approximately 532,000 MT. Limes are forecasted to reach 1.7 million MT. This is up 10.57% from 2023 figures.

WCO also marked its first leadership transition, welcoming Sergio del Castillo and Badr Bennis as new co-chairs. They will lead the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, respectively. They are slated to hold these roles for two years.

* Chart based on soft citrus, orange, lemon, and grapefruit data from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay, contrasted and complemented with external data from USDA and FAOSTAT. The figures for limes are presented separately and not included in the “ALL CITRUSES” total.