The European Union imported 1,572,564 tonnes of citrus fruit from non-EU countries between September 2025 and May 2026. This was the highest cumulative volume on record and represented a 15% increase compared with the same period of the previous marketing year.
The figures come from the latest enhanced monitoring bulletin on fruit and vegetable imports published by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The report draws on data from Eurostat, the European Commission’s Agri-food Data Portal and customs surveillance information provided by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Imports did not follow a uniform pattern throughout the marketing year. The Ministry attributed the increase to the high volume shipped by South Africa in September, followed by growth in imports from Türkiye and Egypt from the beginning of 2026. This succession of suppliers kept the volume of non-EU citrus fruit entering the European market at a high level for much of the season.
South Africa leads over the marketing year as a whole
South Africa remained the EU’s leading non-EU supplier, accounting for 31.4% of the citrus fruit imported between September and May. Its shipments were 27.8% above the average for the previous five marketing years.
Egypt ranked second and continued to strengthen its position in the European market. Its shipments exceeded the five-year average by 31%, driven by higher imports of oranges and small citrus fruits. This growth enabled the country to increase its market share by 3.3 percentage points.
Türkiye fell to third place. Its shipments were 0.9% below the average recorded over the previous five marketing years, as growth in small citrus fruit failed to fully offset the decline in lemon exports.
Morocco ranked fourth after increasing its citrus shipments to the European Union by 7.3% compared with the five-year average.
Egypt accounts for half of imports in 2026
The rise in imports is even more pronounced when only the first five months of 2026 are considered. Between January and May, the EU imported 841,256 tonnes of citrus fruit from non-EU countries, 23.4% more than during the same period in 2025 and 22.9% above the 2021–2025 average.
Egypt accounted for 50.5% of these imports and increased its shipments by 30.4%, mainly as a result of stronger orange sales during the final months covered by the report. Türkiye held an 18.8% share, with shipments rising by 22.7%. Morocco increased its exports by 14.7%, although it lost 0.8 percentage points of market share because of the faster growth recorded by its competitors.
South Africa, whose export season was still at an early stage during the period under review, shipped 59.8% more citrus fruit than the average for the previous five years.
Small citrus fruit drives growth
Mandarins, clementines and other small citrus fruits recorded the strongest growth in imports during the first five months of the year. The volume entering the EU was 56.9% above the five-year average and accounted for 41% of total non-EU citrus imports, an increase of 8.9 percentage points.
Despite this growth, oranges remained the most widely imported citrus fruit from non-EU countries, with a 43% share between January and May.
The figures therefore point to a significant increase in the EU’s reliance on citrus supplies from outside the bloc, both in terms of the total volume imported and the growing presence of Egypt and Türkiye during months that overlap with the European citrus marketing season.
