China Becomes Major Global Citrus Exporter

The China: Citrus Annual report recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service indicates that China’s citrus production has continued to grow over the past decade, reaching 67.91 million metric tons in 2024. Over this period, China has steadily transitioned from a net citrus importer to an important regional exporter. Meanwhile, its export destinations have expanded beyond neighboring Southeast Asian countries and traditional markets such as Russia and Kyrgyzstan to include European markets, particularly the Netherlands and Romania.

Overall citrus export volumes, particularly with respect to oranges and mandarins/tangerines, have continued to rise, with mandarin and tangerine exports doubling over the past five years. Driven by sustained domestic demand for highly sweet, seedless and easy-to-peel hybrid varieties, citrus production is expected to continue expanding and eventually surpass other fruit categories such as apples and pears. However, rising labor costs and tightening land availability may moderately slow the pace of growth.

In terms of trade policy, New Zealand officially granted market access to Chinese pomelos in August 2025. Prior to this, in 2020, several Chinese citrus products were approved for export to the United States, including Nanfeng honey mandarins, pomelos, sweet oranges and satsuma mandarins. At present, countries authorized to export citrus to China include Argentina, Australia, Chile, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Iran, Israel, Laos, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.

Oranges

Despite adverse weather conditions in western regions — particularly Sichuan and Chongqing — the central production areas, including Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, have entered a high-yield cycle. As a result, China’s orange production in marketing year 2025/26 (November to October) is forecast at 7.68 million metric tons, representing a slight increase from MY 2024/25. Fresh orange consumption in MY 2025/26 is projected at 7.29 million metric tons.

In MY 2024/25, China imported 160,880 metric tons of oranges, nearly unchanged from the previous year, with South Africa, Australia and Egypt as the main suppliers. Orange imports in MY 2025/26 are forecast at 161,000 metric tons, remaining essentially flat year on year. Exports in MY 2025/26 are projected to reach 150,000 metric tons, slightly higher than the MY 2024/25 estimate. This growth is driven by increased domestic supply and improved export quality to neighboring markets such as Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia and Thailand. Over the past three years, China’s orange export volumes have consistently remained well above the average levels recorded in the preceding three-year period.

Mandarins and Tangerines

Benefiting from increased supplies in Guangxi, Yunnan and other producing provinces due to favorable weather conditions, China’s mandarin and tangerine production in MY 2025/26 (October to September) is forecast at 27.1 million metric tons, a slight increase from the previous year. Consumption in MY 2025/26 is projected at 25.26 million metric tons, also marginally higher year on year.

In MY 2024/25, China imported a total of 48,338 metric tons of mandarins and tangerines, up 10.4% from the previous year. The top two suppliers were South Africa (23,116 metric tons, −12.7%) and Australia (19,767 metric tons, +41.8%). Other suppliers included Peru, Laos, the United States, Morocco, Vietnam, Pakistan, Chile and Egypt. If South African shipments rebound and demand for Australian fruit remains strong, mandarin and tangerine imports in MY 2025/26 are forecast to reach 55,000 metric tons, representing a 14% year-on-year increase.

In MY 2024/25, China exported a total of 1.215 million metric tons of mandarins and tangerines, up 10.8% year on year. Compared with exports of less than 600,000 metric tons in MY 2021/22, volumes in MY 2024/25 have more than doubled. The top 10 export destinations were Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Russia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, North Korea, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. Exports in MY 2025/26 are projected to reach 1.25 million metric tons, a 2% increase from the previous year.

Grapefruit (Including Pomelos)

China’s total grapefruit production, including pomelos, is forecast at 5.35 million metric tons in MY 2025/26 (October to September), representing a slight increase from the previous year. Grapefruit consumption is projected at 5.08 million metric tons, also marginally higher year on year.

China’s pomelo imports in MY 2024/25 totaled 107,000 metric tons, up 20% from the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by higher supplies from Laos, whose harvest season complements China’s, helping to fill gaps in domestic supply. In addition, under the China–ASEAN free trade agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership framework, Laotian pomelos enjoy a price advantage on the Chinese market. Imports from Laos surged 68.7% to 45,116 metric tons, making the Southeast Asian country China’s largest pomelo supplier. China’s total grapefruit imports in MY 2025/26 are forecast to reach 115,000 metric tons, a 5% increase from the MY 2024/25 estimate.

According to the latest trade data, China exported 187,396 metric tons of grapefruit in MY 2024/25. With a larger proportion of fruits meeting export-quality standards, exports in MY 2025/26 are projected at approximately 190,000 metric tons, slightly higher than the previous year. The top five export destinations were the Netherlands, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Romania and Ukraine.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.