Citrus Production - Introduction

Citrus fruits are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit:

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      the fresh fruit market
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      the processed citrus fruits market (mainly orange juice)

Most citrus production is accounted for by oranges, but significant quantities of grapefruits, pomeloes, lemons and limes are also grown.


History

While the origin of citrus fruits cannot be precisely identified, researchers believe they began to appear in southeast Asia around 4000BC. From there, they slowly spread to northern Africa mainly through migration and trade. During the period of the Roman Empire, demand by higher ranking members of society and increased trade allowed the fruits to spread to southern Europe. Citrus spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages and were then brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers. Worldwide trade of citrus fruits didn't appear until the 1800s and trade in orange juice developed as late as 1940.


Volume

Total production and consumption of citrus fruit has grown strongly since the 1980s. Current annual worldwide citrus production is estimated at over 105 million tons, with more than half of this being oranges. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the rise in citrus production is mainly due to the increase in cultivation areas, improvements in transportation and packaging, rising incomes and consumer preference for healthy foods.

This trend is projected to change from 2000 to 2010 since the high production levels have slowed the rate of new plantings.


Countries involved

Citrus fruits are produced all over the world. According to UNCTAD, in 2004 there were 140 citrus producing countries. Around 70% of the world's total citrus production is grown in the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Brazil, countries around the Mediterranean and the United States.

In the United States, citrus fruits for consumption as fresh fruit are mainly grown in California, Arizona and Texas, while most orange juice and grapefruit is produced in Florida).

China could be a major player in the orange juice and processed citrus markets, except for high tariffs on citrus that make domestic sale more profitable.

Though citrus originated in southeast Asia, current citrus production is low due to lower than average yields, high production and marketing costs and problems with disease.

Citrus production in most of Europe continues to decline, although the clementines produced by Spain are increasing in popularity among consumers.
source : hydroponicsearch