Posts Tagged “Valencia orange shipments”

USDA Forecasts Big Increase in Valencia Shipments

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U.S. Valencia orange shipments will be up 23 percent 2023-24, at 20.85 million boxes, an increase from 16.91 million boxes in the previous season, according to a USDA crop forecast.

The increases are expected to be led by a 35 percent growth in Florida Valencia orange production, which is projected to be at 13 million boxes next year, from 9.65 million boxes in 2022-23.

Florida production of non-Valencia oranges is expected to be up by 22 percent, at 7.5 million boxes, from last season’s 6.7 million boxes.

This will result in a nationwide increase to 44.95 million boxes for non-Valencias, up from 43.2million boxes for the 2022-23 season. California non-Valencia production will be more or less flat: 37 million boxes as opposed to 36.5 million boxes in the previous season.

Florida grapefruit production will be 5 percent higher: 1.9 million boxes, up from 1.81 million boxes in 2022-23. California’s grapefruit crop is expected to be down to 3.5 million boxes from last season’s 4 million boxes. Texas will see a slight drop, to 2.2 million boxes from 2.25 million boxes.

California navel orange production is expected to be up by 1 percent this season, at 74 million, according to a forecast issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

The CDFA report notes fruit set was much higher in Fresno County (360 per tree, from 2022-23’s 245) at that time. Fruit set for Tulare and Kern county was down over the previous year.

The CDFA report also predicted a California Cara Cara production of 7 million cartons.

For tangerines and mandarins, the USDA forecast is 23.5 million boxes, down slightly from 24.18 million boxes last season. California accounts for practically all of the drop, as well for total national production.

Lemon production is pegged at 24.5 million boxes, down from 27.9 million boxes last season. The drop is largely due to lower California production: 23 million boxes as opposed to 26.5 million boxes in 2022-23.

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Summer Citrus Loadings Look Good from California, Chile

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U.S. summer citrus shipments are underway, with numerous items originating from California and the Southern Hemisphere.

California valencia orange shipments have with volume expected to be similar last year.

Limoneira Co. of Santa Paula, CA expects good citrus volumes this summer, reporting great quality with lemons and lemon specialties being shipped to both retailers and foodservice busineses.

The Wonderful Co. of Los Angeles reports summer citrus is a big part of it various year-round shipments with its 5-year average growth rate being 7 percent. Much of the increase is with mandarins, at 20 percent annual growth; limes, 10 percent; and lemons, 6 percent, Shiba said.

Chile

In Southern Hemisphere, Chile in particular focuses heavily on exports to the U.S. for its summer citrus, which ranges from clementines to lemons, limes, mandarins and navels. Exports started in late April.

Global exports of Chilean citrus reached 421,858 boxes — 6,707 tons — through mid-May, up 2 pecent over the same period last season, with 96 percent of this volume shipped to the U.S.; 3.6 percent to the Far East; and the remaining .4 percent to Europe.

During the week of May 13th, Chile exported 252,413 boxes, or 4,017 tons, of citrus, consisting of 93 percent clementines and 7 percent lemons. Chilean navels got underway at the end of May, with mandarins in early June.

For the U.S. market, the Chilean citrus season was just getting underway.

Through May 17th, exports of Chilean clementines to the U.S. totaled 402,395 boxes, or 6,373 tons, up 17 percent above the same date in 2018.

The East Coast accounted for a 76 percent share (304,364 boxes, 4,819 tons) and the West Coast, the remaining 24 percent (98,031 boxes, 1,553 tons).

Lemon shipments to the U.S. also began the week of May 6th, with 4,320 boxes (74 tons) shipped to the West Coast.

The Chile anticipates similar overall volumes of citrus in comparison to last year, with total volume reaching 350,000 tons versus 358,000 in 2018.

The biggest change is with clementine volume, which is expected to decline by 8 percent to 58,000 tons; This was not unexpected since Chilean clementine shipments soared 53 percent in 2018.

In 2017, Chile shipped 40,687 tons of clementines to North America, and this year, the estimate is 58,000 tons. That’s an increase of 43 percent in just 2 years.

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Estimates: California Valencia Shipments; Florida Citrus Shipments

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California Valencia orange shipments for the season remain unchanged in the USDA latest forecast, while there is a mixture of changes in the estimates for Florida citrus shipments, depending on the items.

The USDA is forecasting the California Valencia orange shipments at 19 million 40-pound cartons, the same as the final utilized production of valencias in the 2017-18 season.


The state’s bearing acreage is 29,000, the same as the most recent season.

The growing season had mostly dry weather early, but rainy throughout February. The average number of fruit per tree, 573, is 9 percent greater than last season, and above the 5-year average of 568.


Data was collected from 349 groves, primarily in Tulare, Kern, Fresno, Ventura and San Diego counties.


Florida grapefruit shipments dropped 10 percent for the current growing season in Florida, while the orange volume remains steady.

The USDA reports Florida remains on pace to ship enough oranges to fill 77 million 90-pound boxes — the industry standard — during the current season.

Meanwhile, growers are on pace now to fill 5.4 million boxes of grapefruit, which is down from 6 million boxes projected in February.

Also, projections of specialty citrus such as tangelos and tangerines, which declined by 16.7 percent over the first 2 months of the year, fell another 5 percent in the latest forecast, from a projection of 1 million boxes in February to 950,000 boxes.

Despite the lower projections for grapefruit and specialty fruit, the industry appears headed to an improvement over the past two growing years.

Hurricane Irma in 2018 devastated the 2017-2018 crop, resulting in just 49.58 million boxes of oranges, grapefruit and other citrus.

During the 2016-2017 season, meanwhile, Florida had 68.7 million boxes of oranges.

The recent figures pale for an industry that two decades ago produced more than 200 million boxes of citrus a year. The industry continues to struggle against citrus greening disease, development pressures and a change in drinking habits.

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California Citrus Shipments Switching from navels to Valencias

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DSCN1455The harvest of California navel oranges is winding down as July approaches and the season’s production could be close to 81 million cartons, although late season citrus is requiring more grading as marketable product keeps falling.  At the same, Valencia orange shipments are replacing navels.

For much of the season, utilization rates — the percentage of fruit that could be sold as fresh — remained in the low 80s, but now it has dipped into the 70s as the crop has been picked over.  Subpar oranges are diverted to juice.

Meanwhile, harvest is under way for a diminished Valencia orange crop. Growers this season are expected to ship a 20-million-carton crop, down from 22 million cartons last year and a little more than half the 39 million cartons produced in 2001-02.

Only about 25 to 30 percent into that crop has been harvest, but the Valencias are coming out fewer than expected.

The harvest hits as a fourth year of the California drought and its related federal surface water shutoffs have resulted in many growers taking trees out of production.  It is estimated as many as 50,000 acres of orange and other citrus trees would be bulldozed.

The orchard removals could take a particular toll on Valencia trees, which were already being replaced with navels and other more lucrative citrus varieties before the drought began.  Valencia acreage has seen a precipitous decline in recent years; there are about 34,000 bearing acres this year, down from 65,000 in 2001-02.

San Joaquin Valley produce rates for citrus, veggies and fruit have been fluctuating by nearly a $1000 in a given week to New York City.  On average, rates appear to be around $7700 to the Big Apple.

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