Good season for South African grapefruit exporters

The South African grapefruit exporters can be satisfied this year, as the volumes packed for export - 15.9 million cartons of 17 kilos - are almost 16% higher than last year's 13.7 million cartons. According to the citrus growers' association, this is due to the recovery of the dry conditions in the northern areas last year. In the mid-March estimate, it was assumed that the grapefruit harvest would be comparable to that of the 2018/2019 season. The final packed volume amounted to 15.5 million cartons. The largest producer, Letsitele, was 12% below estimate with 4.4 million cartons. Hoedspruit was 1% below with 3.9 million cartons, while Onderberg was 2% over with 2.5 million. Limpopo River was 8% below estimates at 1.3 million cartons, while Orange River (1.3 million) was the closest with only 4,000 cartons less. The EU remains the largest market for grapefruit ...