Good sizes with a slightly delayed South African lychee harvest

Published Nov 25, 2021

Tridge summary

The Mauritius harvest of lychees in South Africa has commenced in Malelane, but is behind schedule with the first fruits not expected to be picked in Tzaneen until mid-December. The harvest is projected to be 20% to 30% smaller than last year, with an estimated 1.3 million 2 kg cartons. The late start of the season could be advantageous as it will allow South Africa to supply lychees to European markets after Madagascar. The country is also seeking to access new markets such as India, China, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The Mauritius harvest has started in early South African lychee growing areas, such as Malelane, and this is a little later than usual. In Tzaneen, the first Mauritius lychees will not be picked until mid-December. The early lychee varieties have been packed since October and growers in Malelane are currently finishing the harvest of the Early Delight variety, after which they switch to the picking of the Mauritius variety. "The lychee harvest this year is 20% to 30% smaller than last year and is estimated at about 1.3 million 2 kg cartons. 150,000 cartons of this are reserved for the program in the US," says Bram Snijder , president of the South African Litchi Growers' Association (SALGA). "Last year we had a harvest of 1.9 million 2 kg cartons, the second largest harvest in ten years. Last season went well. We had few problems with loading and the prices were good." The hail that hit Tzaneen on November 5 caused damage to the lychees. "We estimate the losses in the Tzaneen ...

Source: AGF