The Chilean Citrus Committee projects a 4% drop in citrus exports this season for a total of 383,000 tons.

Their latest report forecasts a 35% drop in clementine volume to 40,000 tons, a 9% drop for mandarins and a 2% drop for oranges. Lemons, on the other hand, should increase by 33%.

For clementines, the decline relates to water scarcity in the main production areas in the Coquimbo region in northern Chile, explained Monserrat Valenzuela, manager of the Citrus Committee.

Chile has 4,000 planted hectares of clementines, 70% located in Coquimbo, according to CIREN data.

Chilean Citrus Committee President Juan Ortúzar said the organization is working to adapt the industry to production challenges created by climate change. This means a great focus on sustainable production, he said.

USDA market reports for April indicate clementines imports are fairly light at the moment and arriving mainly from Morocco.  Chilean clementines typically reach the U.S. market from August to November.

Mandarin and lemon production

Chile is the largest supplier in the United States of imported mandarins, holding 38.7% of the market on average. 

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Valenzuela said the volume of all mandarin shipments should reach 160,000 tons,  a decrease of 9% compared to the previous period. Meanwhile, oranges should maintain a volume similar to the previous season, reaching 93,000 tons. For lemons, exports are expected to grow by 33% to 90,000 tons.

Chilean citrus, totaling 27,813 hectares, ranges from the northern Atacama Region to the southern O'Higgins Region. The Metropolitan Region in central Chile had the largest planted area with 8,361 hectares, according to CIREN.

Lemon trees lead planted area with 9,199 hectares, followed by the mandarin trees at 7,800 hectares and orange trees at 6,600 hectares.

Chilean lemons are available May to October, while oranges are available June to November.