Mexico projects 4% growth in citrus production for the 2024/2025 season

In Mexico, in the 2024/2025 season, total citrus production is projected to grow by 4% compared to the previous season, thanks mainly to an increase in lime production, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The increase in fresh orange production will be marginal due to adverse weather factors, such as prolonged droughts, high temperatures and irregular rainfall in the main producing areas. However, growers are confident that weather conditions will improve, favoring tree recovery and higher quality fruit.

Orange juice production is on track to recover after several years of declines caused by fruit quality problems. More favorable conditions during the second half of the 2023/2024 season led to better results, which generates positive expectations for the 2024/2025 season. In terms of exports, stability is expected for fresh oranges and moderate growth for fresh lemons.

The combined production of fresh oranges, lemons and grapefruit in Mexico is estimated to increase by 4% in the 2024/2025 season compared to the previous season. However, the citrus sector continues to face challenges from adverse weather events, such as drought and high temperatures, which have affected important producing regions. It is expected that the recovery of the trees will allow the harvesting of larger fruit with more juice, which would also boost the production of fresh juice concentrate.

Fresh citrus exports remain stable, with a significant increase in shipments of lemons and limes, and a more moderate increase in oranges. The availability of lemons and limes is expected to favor an increase in overall fresh citrus exports compared to last season. On the other hand, Mexico's imports of fresh citrus remain minimal and virtually flat year over year.

According to Mexico's Agricultural and Fisheries Information Service (Servicio de Información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera, SIAP), in 2023, the total area dedicated to citrus cultivation — including oranges, lemons, and grapefruit — surpassed 598,300 hectares, marking a 2% increase compared to the previous year. Of this total, 59.1% is allocated to orange production, 37.2% to lemons and limes, and 3.7% to grapefruit. These percentages have remained largely consistent over the past decade.

source: usda.gov

photo: oem.com.mx