Global mandarin production reaches 38.40 million tons, with China accounting for 70% | Japan sees a bumper crop of 650,000 tons, up 20%

When mandarins begin appearing in stores in November, you can sense winter approaching. In Japan, they are the fruit of “mandarins at the kotatsu,” but mandarins (tangerines and mandarins) are also a major industry around the world. Drawing on the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s “Citrus: World Markets and Trade” (January 2026) and crop statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, we look at mandarins around the world and in Japan.

Global production is 38.4 million tonnes, with China accounting for 70%

According to the USDA, global production of fresh mandarins in the 2025/26 marketing year is forecast to rise slightly from the previous year to 38.4 million tonnes. Increased production in China, Türkiye, Morocco, South Africa, and Japan outweighed lower production in the EU and the United States.

China is the largest producer, with favorable weather in major growing areas such as Guangxi and Yunnan lifting output by 100,000 tonnes to 27.1 million tonnes. That means one country produces about 70% of the world’s total. Meanwhile, EU production is down 6% to 2.8 million tonnes, as ripening was delayed in Spain and fruit was smaller in Italy. U.S. production is forecast to fall to 997,000 tonnes, following a bumper crop in California the previous year.

Mandarins by the numbers
Global mandarin production (2025/26 marketing year, USDA): 38.4 million tonnes
Of which, China: 27.1 million tonnes (about 70%)
Global exports: 4.8 million tonnes (an increase of more than 10%)
Japan’s mandarin harvest (2025 crop, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries): 656,300 tonnes (up 17% from the previous crop year)

Exports rise 10%, driven by Türkiye and Russia

Global mandarin exports are forecast to increase by more than 10% to 4.8 million tonnes. Much of the increase comes from Türkiye, where recovering production and growing overseas demand are expected to lift exports by 392,000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes. Russia is absorbing much of this supply, with imports forecast to rise by 200,000 tonnes to a record 1.1 million tonnes.

Global consumption is expected to remain broadly flat at 36.2 million tonnes, but the USDA expects declines in the EU and Türkiye and growth in Russia and Japan. In the United States, imports are forecast to rise 4% to 555,000 tonnes—reaching a record high for the second consecutive year—to offset lower domestic production. Chile, Peru, and Morocco are the main suppliers.

The same report also offers an outlook for orange juice, a familiar feature of café breakfasts. Global orange juice production is expected to rise by less than 1% to 1.4 million tonnes, while consumption is forecast to increase 4% to 1.2 million tonnes. Production in Brazil, the largest producer, is expected to edge up to about 1 million tonnes. Citrus supports dining tables around the world not only as fresh fruit, but also in juice, marmalade, and as flavoring for baked goods.

Japan reaches 650,000 tonnes, recovering from the previous year’s poor harvest

Turning to Japan, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced in May 2026 that the 2025 mandarin harvest was 656,300 tonnes and shipments were 598,900 tonnes, both 17% higher than the previous crop year. Yield per 10 ares was 1,940 kg, up 20% from the previous crop year. In contrast to the previous year, when high temperatures led to a poor harvest, autumn rain helped the fruit develop well.

Meanwhile, the cultivation area was 35,600 hectares and the area of bearing trees that actually produced fruit was 33,800 hectares, both down 2% from the previous year. Even in a bumper year, the orchards themselves are gradually shrinking. About 60% of the harvest consists of early-ripening Satsuma mandarins, which reach the market in autumn.

A winter mandarin on the map of the world

Of the world’s 38.4 million tonnes, Japan’s 650,000 tonnes account for less than 2%. Even so, the sweet, easy-to-peel Satsuma mandarin is a variety cultivated in Japan, and it has created a distinctive culture as a fruit eaten by hand. The movement of fruit around the world is Global banana exports and Pumpkin imports as well.

Sources: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, “Citrus: World Markets and Trade” (January 2026); Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, “2025 Mandarin Cultivation Area, Bearing Tree Area, Harvest and Shipment Volume” (published May 26, 2026)

—The Value Village Editorial Team