Australian citrus suppliers don’t have to wait for the final figures to declare 2017 their best season on record.
More than 221,000 tonnes of fruit had been exported at the end of September, generating some A$377m in sales.
Given that citrus exports for the entire 2016 season were 220,000 tonnes at A$328.4m, it has already been another record breaking campaign in the export arena, and it’s not done yet.
“With three months still unaccounted for, and with predictions of substantial exports of Valencia oranges in the last quarter of the year, we expect to well and truly break the A$400m mark this season, edging us closer to our goal of half a billion dollars,” saysCitrus Australia’s market access manager David Daniels.
Based on the September data, orange exports were up 12 per cent year-on-year at 152,153 tonnes, while mandarin exports were up 38 per cent to64,755 tonnes.
Other citrus categories (grapefruit, lemons and limes) made up just under two per cent of total exports at 3,846 tonnes.
