These 8 countries that produce the most oranges in the world yield more than 90 percent of all grown oranges on the planet. According to US’ Foreign Agriculture Services (FAS), the citrus’s total production will decrease by 740,000 metric tons (MT) in 2015/16 compared to previous season. The drop down in the crop production in Mexico and America is driving the decline, although a few countries, such as Brazil, China, and Egypt recorded the positive trend in the fruit’s output.
According to latest available data, worth of total world’s oranges export was $4.5 billion in 2014 which was a drop by 8.3 percent compared to 2013. European countries, led by Spain and Netherlands, had the highest value worth of exported oranges, while Portugal was the fastest growing exporter in the period between 2010 and 2014. At the same time countries like Italy and Egypt, which are among world’s top oranges producers, saw a decline in the export worth. Another commodity whose export value has gone down is nickel as you can see in our previous article 8 countries that produce the most nickel in the world.
In creating the ranking 8 countries that produce the most oranges in the world we used FAS’s prediction about the fruit’s output in the season 2015/16. Since Citrus: World Markets and Trends groups EU countries as one entity, we also consulted the report EU-28 Citrus Annual to find out how much oranges individual EU states produce.
8.Turkey
1,700,000 MT
Orange production in Turkey has been rising since 1960s. Due to unfavorable weather conditions the production decreased by 20 to 30 percent in 2014, but in 2015, the country recovered. Washington navel accounts for the greatest share of the crop production, while Çukurova is the region which yields 70 percent of produced fruit in Turkey. The main export markets are neighboring countries Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Iraq.
7. Italy
1,950,000 MT
According to FAS forecast, the first European country on the list, Italy, is expected to bounce back after suffering a high decrease in orange production in the season 2014/15 due to unfavorable weather conditions. It is expected that the fruit production will rise by 600,000 MT in 2015/16. Spain has been one of the country’s main import markets, while Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France are leading export destinations.
6. Egypt
2, 750,000 MT
Egypt is a sixth largest producer and the first exporter of oranges in the world. In recent years, the harvesting area has increased which subsequently raised the crop production and export. Oranges account for 30 percent of total fruit output and 65 percent of citrus production. Delta area is the most fertile region while navel oranges account for more than a half of all produced crop in the country. Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, and India are main end destinations of Egypt’s oranges with first two countries importing 40 percent of all oranges intended for the international market.
5. Spain
2,935,000 MT
Together with Italy, Spain produces around 80 percent of all oranges grown in the EU. FAS predicts that the fruit’s yield will decrease by 15.7 percent compared to the previous season because of high temperatures which interfered with flowering and fruiting. Valencia and Andalusia, which are home to 90 percent of grown citrus, are main producing areas, although farmers in the Region of Valencia have been abandoning orange business for more profitable production of kiwi. Spain’s main export areas are EU countries.
4. Mexico
3,534,000 MT
With 3,534,000 metric tons of produced oranges, Mexico ranks as fourth on our list of 8 countries that produce the most oranges in the world. Like in previously mentioned Spain, the citrus production in Mexico will suffer due to hot weather. Moreover, the consumption of the citrus will also drop down, while the amount of processing fruit will slightly go up. The main producing area is the State of Veracruz, which yields 52 percent of grown oranges. The greatest share of exported crop ends up in the United States, which is also Mexico’s main import origin.
3. United States
4,758,000 MT
Orange production in the US is expected to continue to go down in 2015/16. Compared to 2011/12, when America yielded around 8 million metric tons of the citrus, this season’s production will be lower by 40 percent. Florida and California are the main producing areas. The amount of the fruit that is intended for export and domestic consumption will be slightly higher compared to a year ago, but it will still be far from the level in 2010/11.
2. China
7,000,000 MT
Besides being the second-largest producer of oranges, the most populated country in the world, China, ranks as first by the citrus consumption. FAS predicts that in 2015/16 more than 4 million metric tons of fresh oranges will be eaten in China, which is almost 75 percent of all consumed citrus in the world. It is expected that the crop’s yield will reach 7 million metric tons in the current season despite major losses in Jiangxi province due to citrus greening disease which has also caused a significant drop in fruit’s export.
1. Brazil
16,728,000 MT
Besides ranking as first among 8 countries that produce the most oranges, Brazil will also record the greatest increase in the crop’s yield among listed places. It is expected that oranges production will increase by 408,000 metric tons, which accounts for 3 percent rise. The country also uses the largest amount of oranges for processing (11,180,000 MT), while it exports around 20 million MT, mainly to the US and the EU. The main producing area in the country is São Paulo while Washington’s navel is predominately grown variety.
