Exports of orange juice close harvest 18/19 with drop of 20%

São Paulo — the total exports of orange juice from Brazil declined 20% in the 2018/19 crop, closed in June, compared to the previous season, totaling 925,884 tonnes, the National Association of Juices Exporters said on Monday. Citruses (CitrusBR). The revenues with the shipments of orange juice (FCOJ equivalent to 66 º Brix), in turn, recorded a drop of 18% in the period, to 1.7 billion dollars, still according to CitrusBR. The association cites as main justifications for the casualties a recovery of the Florida crop in the United States, and a decrease in the consumption of the product in Europe. "In the 2018/2019 harvest, the Florida hurricane season was bland, contrary to what occurred in 2017, when Hurricane Irma devastated the orchards, and greatly affected local production, forcing Americans to import much more juice," said the Executive director of CitrusBR, Ibiapaba Netto, in a statement. In the annual comparison, exports to the U.S. marked 39% falls in both volume and revenue, totaling 193,683 tonnes and 341 million dollars. "In Europe, we perceive a certain setback that can be associated with migration to other products, a fact that has been constant in recent years," he added. Sales for Europe had a 10% drop in volume, with 606,522 tons, and 8% in revenues, with 1.1 billion dollars. In a historical series compiled by CitrusBR, which starts in 2001, the volume shipped in 2018/19 loses only for the 894,700 tons recorded in the 2016/17 season, when the sector had a minimum since 1990/91, due to the impact of a strong crop break. Exports of orange juice from Brazil usually exceed the mark of 1 million tons per year, this being the second crop of the historical series of CitrusBR to finish below the value — next to exactly the 2016/17 season. In addition to the lower demand, the sector faced a lower supply of fruit in 2018/19, with a drop of almost 30% in the production of the citrus belt of the largest global exporter of orange juice. São Paulo — the total exports of orange juice from Brazil declined 20% in the 2018/19 crop, closed in June, compared to the previous season, totaling 925,884 tonnes, the National Association of Juices Exporters said on Monday. Citruses (CitrusBR). The revenues with the shipments of orange juice (FCOJ equivalent to 66 º Brix), in turn, recorded a drop of 18% in the period, to 1.7 billion dollars, still according to CitrusBR. The association cites as main justifications for the casualties a recovery of the Florida crop in the United States, and a decrease in the consumption of the product in Europe. "In the 2018/2019 harvest, the Florida hurricane season was bland, contrary to what occurred in 2017, when Hurricane Irma devastated the orchards, and greatly affected local production, forcing Americans to import much more juice," said the Executive director of CitrusBR, Ibiapaba Netto, in a statement. In the annual comparison, exports to the U.S. marked 39% falls in both volume and revenue, totaling 193,683 tonnes and 341 million dollars. "In Europe, we perceive a certain setback that can be associated with migration to other products, a fact that has been constant in recent years," he added. Sales for Europe had a 10% drop in volume, with 606,522 tons, and 8% in revenues, with 1.1 billion dollars. In a historical series compiled by CitrusBR, which starts in 2001, the volume shipped in 2018/19 loses only for the 894,700 tons recorded in the 2016/17 season, when the sector had a minimum since 1990/91, due to the impact of a strong crop break. Exports of orange juice from Brazil usually exceed the mark of 1 million tons per year, this being the second crop of the historical series of CitrusBR to finish below the value — next to exactly the 2016/17 season. In addition to the lower demand, the sector faced a lower supply of fruit in 2018/19, with a drop of almost 30% in the production of the citrus belt of the largest global exporter of orange juice.