No oversupply of South African mandarins

The first Satsumas are being harvested in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, but volumes from the north of the country seem to have been reduced by this summer's high rainfall, resulting in swollen and oversized fruits in some blocks. "It looks like there is good demand for Satsumas now that Spain and Morocco are in short supply, and with the rains the South African product will decrease, giving a cautiously positive outlook," says a citrus trader. "These days there are no more high prices, but I think the Satsuma season could be good. At least there is no oversupply." Shipping and productivity in South African ports remain a concern, but the market outlook for Satsumas is an improvement from 12 months ago, he added. Lemons The lemon harvest started very early, about three to four weeks earlier than last year. Large volumes had already been packed before the heavy rains, which explains why South African lemon exports are so far more than 200,000 cartons of 15 kg ahead of last year's ...