Asian Citrus Holdings

China’s largest orange producer, Asian Citrus, has released new figures showing a 42 per cent rise in winter orange crop yield for the 2009 season.

The company’s winter orange crop hit 114,530 tonnes from its two operational plantations, a growth of 42 per cent over the 2008 season, reported Business Financial Newswire.

Most of the growth came from Asian Citrus’ Xinfeng plantation, with production rising from 27,665 tonnes to approximately 60,019 tonnes, a 117 per cent rise reportedly expected by the company’s management.

The group’s Hepu plantation rose from 53,142 tonnes to 54,511 tonnes, a 3 per cent rise.

Winter oranges accounted for 43.2 per cent of total orange sale revenues, with summer oranges making up the remainder, said the report.