아르헨티나 감귤류 인사이트

The citrus agroindustry in Tucumán and the country is going through a difficult time, with mixed results in 2024 and an uncertain future in the face of a challenging economic and global outlook.

In the last three months, the presence of large quantities of imported lemons has become very visible in the local market, especially from Chile but also from Spain. The news would not attract attention if it were not for the fact that Argentina is a world power in lemon production. From Tucumán and other provinces of the NOA, 21.5% of the world's lemons were produced in 2023, according to statistics from Federcitrus, the entity that groups citrus companies. Last year, the country produced about 2 million tons. Most of it was used in the industry, with 1.45 million tons. Another 220 thousand tons were exported as fresh fruit, and finally the domestic market absorbed about 317 thousand tons. In the sum of citrus fruits, that is, adding oranges and mandarins, Argentina produced about 3.88 million tons in 2023, while on the other side of the mountain range Chile only obtained 412 thousand.

Affected by various economic and climatic factors, it is its lowest level in a decade. Citrus exports, which have historically been a pillar of the economy, fell to figures not seen in 10 years due to adverse conditions both internally and externally. To talk about this issue, Canal E contacted José Carbonell, president of the Argentine Citrus Federation, who commented that throughout this century, Argentina has experienced a significant decrease in its fruit exports, losing almost 50% in total. What is happening with lemon, orange and mandarin in the market According to the interviewee, this decline has been particularly marked in the case of lemon, whose exports to the European Union “collapsed this year.” However, in contrast, “the United States has been a favorable market, achieving a record in fresh lemon exports, with nearly 100,000 tons shipped,” he added. As for oranges and mandarins, “the situation is very low, with a drop of 100,000 tons.”