Change in the 2022 South African Orange Export Markets

South African oranges have seen a change in market export percentages, with some fluctuations during the 2022 orange campaign. The Far East Market has seen a drop from 45% in 2021 to 23% in 2022 due to market and logistics dynamics and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the implementation of the new EU cold treatment protocols, predictions were that South African orange volumes for the EU market would drop substantially, however, the data indicates a marginal 2% drop from 34% in 2021 to 32% in 2022.

The Middle-East market segment has seen a rapid increase in South African oranges during 2022, with an 18% increase in volumes, from 2% in 2021 to 20% in 2022. This growth is predicted to continue, on the back of the high demand seen in 2023. Price volatility and the ability of this market to sustain/absorb these increases in volumes will be a matter to monitor during the 2023 orange campaign. For the Russian market, there was a slight drop from 9% in 2021 to 8% in 2022, despite the conflict in this region.

The Northern American market also slightly increased from 6% in 2021 to 9% in 2022 as producers/exporters ramped up their North American orange campaign during the 2022 season. The 2023 orange season is also predicted to surpass the 2022 season’s production and export data, with the 2023 crop estimates due to be released soon.