The citrus industry has launched into what could be the harvest growers have been waiting for to consolidate 2024’s return to pre-Covid levels.

Citrus Australia chief executive Nathan Hancock says in 2019 Australia harvested 304,000 tonnes of oranges. 

And last year finally got that number back to 303,000 tonnes after some very wet, disappointing seasons.

Nathan says the early varieties, such as M7 and Navelina, have already started coming off and the industry is now moving towards the more traditional export types.

He says harvest this year was slightly delayed from the warmer weather in recent weeks but things across the region are now into full swing.

Iraak, Victoria, producer Darren Minter agreed, saying the later start had also benefited the colour of fruit coming off the trees.

Darren says the quality of oranges being picked was already very good but you never really know until it goes over the grader. 

He says now harvest had started he would be working his way through the different varieties every couple of weeks until October.

“Things are looking much better than last year – the yields are really up, and the quality is even better.

“The season has been back to what we would see as more normal, with that drier run through the summer to get us here,” Darren explains.

“We have had a couple of bad seasons, so we need a promising one right now and that’s how it has been so far,” he says.

“With all our fruit going through Mildura Fruit Company – and from there most of it exported to as many as 30 countries – 2025 is shaping to be our year as producers.”

Mildura Fruit Company general manager Grant Leyden describes the quality, size and volume of the early varieties coming in as having a lot of potential.

Grant says 120 growers in a two-hour radius of its Mildura plant, and a further 35 growers around its Leeton operation in NSW, will be sending fruit in now for several months. 

He says both sites have a strong export focus with about 80 per cent going through the packing house headed overseas.

“Quality is always key, quality and colour – people want our fruit and when the producers get it right it goes a long way in all our markets,” Grant adds.

“Our biggest markets would be China, Hong Kong and Japan, but we reach across Asia and around the Pacific Rim – we also do New Zealand and have a strong counter-seasonal presence in the US and Canada,” he says.

“As a marketer, but not a purchaser of fruit, the better the product we receive the better the price which flows back through to our growers.”

Nathan Hancock says the colder weather after the extended period of warm has been putting some real colour in the crop and he is expecting this to continue. 

He says there will be a good balance in flavour and the external quality and size are both where they need to be.

“It’s a very positive start to meet customer requirements in key export and domestic markets,” Nathan says.

“Last year broke the cycle of tough seasons we had been having, and this one is looking even better,” he says.

“Spring, summer and autumn have all been favourable after the wet and overcast years we have endured, which had impacted size and firmness.”

Nathan says there had also been an increase in plantings across the Sunraysia and other citrus growing areas.

He says along with oranges, the mandarin harvest would have started in most places this week, with the earlier picking varieties. 

Adding the lucrative export varieties should also start coming online from next week on.

“Mandarin production in the Sunraysia, for example, has also increased and Citrus Australia is working with producers to further develop those markets,” Nathan says.

“While Canada, the US and Japan are strong, established markets for local mandarins, we are trying to grow more across Asia,” he added.

“The seedless varieties are the ones which do really well as the preferred specifications there and we need to put in the effort as Californian production of mandarins has also been on the rise in the past 10 years.

“Fortunately we are counter seasonal to North America – and demand for our mandarins is also growing there with excellent support from some big US brands.”

Lemon exports have also seen a kick in the past couple of seasons, particularly in China, South Korea and Japan.

Nathan says lemons are coming off a much smaller production base, so it was important to grow export opportunities there as well to improve market options.