South African Citrus Expansions Lower Than Expected for 2022/23 Season

The South African citrus industry has been on a steady expansion curve for the better part of the last decade. High demand for South African Navels and soft citrus over the last few years have been the catalyst for this growth. However, growth is earmarked to only be around 2% for the coming season compared to the 14% growth on Navels alone over the last 7 years. Increased input costs, higher shipping rates, interruptions of electricity supply, inefficiency of port operations and new phytosanitary requirements imposed on South Africa by the EU have eroded profitability for citrus growers and thus resulted in lower than usual expansion compared to the previous years.