Korea’s total citrus production is forecast at 570,000 metric tons (MT), a 2.1 percent decline from the previous marketing year (582,000 MT), driven by lower yield for open-field tangerines, and a slight reduction in planted area. As the prices of other domestic and imported fruits rise, consumption of relatively cheap citrus – both imported and domestic – is expected to remain strong.
In MY 2022/23, Korea’s orange imports increased by 11.5 percent year-on-year to 87,000 MT due to a shortage of domestic fruit supply during the spring and summer seasons and increased demand for alternative fruits. In particular, orange imports during the months of July, August, and September 2023 increased by 84 percent to 11,494 MT compared to the same period last year (6,260 MT).