The line graph illustrates the seasonal variation in citrus fruit imports into the UK from both EU and non-EU countries throughout the year 2022.
Overall, the data reveals contrasting trends between EU and non-EU citrus fruit imports, with the former exhibiting a notable peak in the latter part of the year while the latter shows significant fluctuations.
In January, citrus fruit imports from the EU commenced at approximately 15 thousand tonnes, whereas non-EU imports began at a low of around 5 thousand tonnes. The EU imports experienced a decline to near 12 thousand tonnes by February, followed by a brief increase, which peaked at nearly 18 thousand tonnes in March. In stark contrast, non-EU imports rose steadily to 10 thousand tonnes by February and maintained a consistent level until June, where they reached their peak of approximately 15 thousand tonnes. However, from July onwards, non-EU imports began to decrease sharply to nearly 0 thousand tonnes in August.
By September, the non-EU imports saw a modest recovery, increasing to around 5 thousand tonnes, but remained significantly lower than earlier months. In contrast, EU imports rebounded significantly beginning in September, culminating in a peak of nearly 20 thousand tonnes in December, having steadily increased from approximately 10 thousand tonnes during October and November. By the end of the year, EU citrus fruit imports had markedly surpassed their non-EU counterparts, which stabilized around 5 thousand tonnes by December. This data underscores the contrasting seasonal trends in citrus fruit sourcing from the EU and non-EU markets in the UK.