Salix Fruits, one of the leading companies in the import and export of fresh fruits, announced the beginning of its Summer Citrus Programme, marking the start of the lemon, mandarin, and orange seasons in the Southern Hemisphere.

The season began in March-April with early mandarins, which will continue until October.

"Lemons will be available from March to September, while oranges, starting with Navels and continuing with Valencia types, will be available from May to October," said Alejandro Moralejo, CEO of Salix Fruits. "Grapefruits will be available from May to August, and Tahiti limes will be available all year round from Colombia and Peru."

Moralejo said they expect a recovery in citrus volumes from nearly all origins. 

The latest report from the USDA shows that between January and February of this year, citrus imports to the U.S. were up 34 million pounds compared to 2023. 

"After last year's climatic challenges, such as the El Niño phenomenon in Peru, we are prepared for a significant increase in our supply to all our destinations, including the United States, Canada, India, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Russia," said Moralejo. 

This season, key differences primarily focus on the ocean freight rates, which have returned to pre-pandemic levels. The supply volumes have increased, but there is concern over the situation in the European market, which is oversupplied with Spanish and Moroccan-Egyptian products.

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Last year, the U.S. imported nearly 4 billion pounds of citrus from different origins, with Mexico being the main supplier reaching 844 million pounds. 

"From Argentina, lemons are our main product for all markets", asserts Moralejo, adding: "For the U.S., we source other citrus fruits like oranges and mandarins from Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. Also, South Africa is one of our main citrus origins for all the destinations."

South African citrus growers said they expect to export some 60,000 tons of citrus to the U.S., coming in through Philadelphia. 

The U.S. citrus market has become highly dependent on imports as local growers struggle with diseases, mainly in Florida, once the main producing state which has suffered greatly from citrus greening disease in the last years. 

With the citrus season underway, Salix Fruits said it is committed to providing the highest quality products to its customers worldwide, expecting to maintain its position as a leader in the citrus industry of the Southern Hemisphere.

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