After the formal adoption of the Statutes of the organization in March 2020, the WCO Secretariat has just compiled and published the first production and export forecasts for the next citrus campaign in the Southern Hemisphere. The forecast report is prepared with information from the sector associations of Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay.

The interim report shows that the total citrus harvest in 2020 in the southern hemisphere is expected to reach 8,387,341 T, representing a small decrease of 3% compared to the balance of 2019. Exports are expected to increase by 12 % to reach 3,486,883 T, which could be explained as a result of the increased demand for citrus by consumers in the context of COVID-19, due to both the nutritional benefits associated with citrus and an increase in consumption domestic. Regarding industrialization, it is expected that a total of 2,426,154 T of citrus will be used for industrial transformation (pending confirmation of the data from Brazil), which represents a decrease of 15% in compared to 2019.

By category of citrus, the suaves soft citrus ’(soft citrus) and lemon and lime show stable figures, with production volumes similar to those of 2019, while for orange a small decrease is expected (-6%). Grapefruit production will increase 3% compared to the previous year. Expected export volumes show increases in all categories, with an increase of 32% compared to 2019 in the case of lemon and lime.

The WCO is now fully operational, with a full program of activities for 2020. In July, an internal meeting with members will review the situation in the sector, taking stock of the latest consumption trends and the experiences of producer countries. in relation to the coronavirus crisis. In fact, in recent months, citrus has emerged as one of the most attractive fruit categories for consumers, given its healthy properties. Consequently, the subject of nutrition and the promotion of citrus consumption will also be discussed in the next

meeting with members of the association.

The members of the WCO are ABCM-Asociação Brasileira de Citrus de Mesa (Brazil), Ailimpo - Asociación Interprofesional de Limón y Pomelo (Spain), AKIB - Mediterranean Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Exporters Association (Turkey), Citrus Australia, Citrus Growers' Association (South Africa), Chilean Citrus Committee (Chile), Fruitimpresse (Italy), Procitrus - Association of Citrus Producers of Peru (Peru), Upefruy - Union of Producers and Exporters of Fruit of Uruguay (Uruguay), MAFA-Magrabi Agriculture (Egypt ), and AMFresh (Spain), Bollo (Spain), Morocco Foodex (Morocco) and PCN (USA), as associate members.

The WCO Secretariat is working with sector associations from Argentina, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Tunisia, Florida, California and Portugal to complete their respective membership applications.