South Africa Does Not Compete With Domestic European Orange Production

South Africa does not compete with domestic European orange production and poses no threat to the viability of the European industry. From January to May, there are no South African oranges in the European market. Spain, Italy, Greece, and Egypt are the main competitors, with small volumes from Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey. This is also the case in November and December. South African orange production starts up in July during the European off season, supplying through to October together with small Spanish volumes as well as southern hemisphere supplies from Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Zimbabwe.

European markets might be without oranges during their off season production window due to the newly implemented cold treatment regulations. South Africa, the largest supplier during this period, cannot supply sufficient volumes to satisfy demand within the existing cold chain infrastructure. As a consequence, orange consumers might opt for an alternative fruit due to no product being available, and if they have a good eating experience, they may not move back to oranges when available again. This situation could hurt both the domestic European orange industry, Spain in particular, as well as the South African industry.