Posts Tagged “California mandarins”
The latest United States 2024 California Citrus Acreage report shows a significant increase in bearing acres for mandarins and mandarin hybrids.
According to the report, the estimated statewide bearing acreage for mandarins increased from 66,000 acres in 2021-22 to 69,000 acres in 2022-23, a total increase of 3,000 acres.
The citrus acreage data is a compilation of questionnaire responses mailed to all citrus growers in the National Agricultural Statistics Service database. The mailing was sent in January 2023 and producers had to update the information with new plantings, removals, and any corrections.
The 2023 California Mandarin Objective Measurement Report by the California Department of Food and Agriculture indicated an 8% increase in fruit set per tree from the previous year.
The detailed California citrus acreage report shows that 64,933 acres of mandarins and mandarin hybrids are bearing fruit.
The report shows a decrease of 500 grapefruit-bearing acres, an increase of 1,000 lemon-bearing acres, and a decrease of 1,000 Valencia oranges-bearing acres. Navel oranges bearing acres remained the same.
While many California vegetable shipments have been rather lack luster this year, shipments have soared for mandarins, and table grapes may break a record.
California mandarins produced in the San Joaquin Valley during 2015 have been valued at $197.6 million, a 171 percent increase from the $72.8 million the previous year, according to the The Fresno County Farm Bureau.
Mostly marketed as clementines with branded labels, from 2014 to 2015, the region’s production of mandarins increased from 121,000 tons to 166,000 tons, a 37.2 percent increase. The national mandarin market, which is dominated by Sun Pacific and Wonderful Citrus, Delano, CA , Wonderful packs the fruit under the Halos label that it introduced in late 2013.
The value of mandarins sold nationally at retail jumped 23 percent two years ago and increased 15 percent from the 2014-15 season to 2015-16. The Fresno County data come from the region’s growers, 60 to 70 percent of whom return the crop report requested by the county.
While some mandarin shippers operate out of Fresno County, they have much larger produce from Kern County.
Given that the Fresno County data doesn’t include much product from Sun Pacific and Wonderful, the two dominant players in the market, it makes sense that the national numbers — relying heavily on the Cuties brand and Halos brand sales — don’t match the regional numbers.
California Grape Shipments
California grapes are in the ballpark of an all-time high for shipments, and over 60 percent of the crop will ship after September 1st.
The 2016 grape crop is estimated at nearly 117.1 million 19-bound box equivalents. This is down a bit from the spring estimate of 117.4 million, but that number would still surpass the record harvest of 116.3 million in 2013.
Last year’s crop of 109.3 million boxes rode favorable markets to its highest ever gross value at $1.83 billion.
Fall grapes will include autumn kings, scarlet royals, autumn royals and red globes. Among the many trademark varieties are Holiday and Milano from Columbine Vineyards; AutumnCrisp by Sun World International; Green Emerald from Sunlight International Sales; and Sweet Celebration from Jasmine, Pandol Bros. and other shippers.
San Joaquin Valley mandarins and grapes – grossing about $5000 to Atlanta.