Persistent Rain in South Africa Delays Lemon Harvest in W7

Producers in the North-eastern region of South Africa experienced persistent rain in W6, which halted lemon harvest and packing in W7, with a level 9 storm warning issued by the South African Weather Service. Despite that, producers expect that the delay will not have a knock-on effect on markets, and exporters are positive that harvesting and packing will commence in W8, and enable them to catch-up on any delays.

Since it is still early season for lemons, the price is relatively high, surpassing USD 16.00/15kg carton for most markets. Demand has been strong, especially from the Middle East and Asia market segments. Lemon volumes are expected to increase in early March with the season reaching its peak volumes in W24 & 30. The lemon season starts in W4 and ends in W36, with smaller volumes available after this period.

The South African lemon export market distribution for 2022 still indicates Europe as the lead market at 39%, followed by the Middle East at 29%, Asia at 9%, Russia at 8%, the UK at 8%, North America at 6%, and others at 1%.