Easy peeler mandarin and clementine imports in the US rose 26 per cent to 158,000 tonnes from April to October, with suppliers from the Southern Hemisphere posting strong gains in the market, according to the US import statistics.
Chile increased supply by 30 per cent and accounted for 57 per cent of the fruit imported over the summer months, followed by Peru with a 26 per cent share. Uruguay, South Africa and Australia supplied the remaining 16 per cent of the fruit from the Southern Hemisphere, the data revealed.
US orange import growth from the Southern Hemisphere was not as strong, with just 1 per cent more fruit supplied compared to 2015.
Of the 112,000 tonnes imported, Chile again was the lead supplier with a 59 per cent market share and a 10 per cent increase, followed by South Africa with a 34 per cent share.
Australia and Uruguay supplied 5 per cent and 2 per cent respectively. Uruguay, the most recent Southern Hemisphere country to gain market access for oranges to the US in 2013 increased its exports by 34 per cent to 2,200 tonnes as the trade continued to be established.
