Japan's Citrus Harvest Up

WASHINGTON - Dec 15/05 - SNS -- Japan's "unshu mikan" tangerine crop is estimated to be 1.11 million metric tons (MT) this year, up 4.7% from the previous season, according to a recent report from the U.S. agricultural attache for the country.

This season's mikan crop has been described as an "on-year" crop, which usually bears more fruit per tree. Japanese mikans experience "on-year" and "off-year" crops in alternate years; therefore, after the last season's relatively short crop, there is expected to be a good crop this season. Usually after the "on-year" production, trees rest the following season by bearing less fruit.

Traditionally, Japanese mikan harvesting starts in December, but in recent years many Japanese farmers have transplanted their groves into early-crop varieties in order to get a better return for their investment by marketing earlier in the season for higher prices.

Today, mikan harvesting starts in October with early-crop varieties in the southern region of Japan. Mikan sales peak in the Christmas and the New Year holiday season. Currently, approximately 60% of Japanese mikan groves are early-crop varieties and the rest are traditional regular-crop types.

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