South Africa: Storms and drop in citrus exports mark the 2023-2024 campaign

Published Jul 29, 2024

Tridge summary

South African orange growers are shifting their produce to processing plants due to record orange juice prices, driven by a global decline in orange production. Despite improved citrus yield and quality from sufficient rainfall, smaller fruits in northern regions have reduced export volumes. The USDA forecasts stable orange growing areas with a 3% increase in total production but a 12% drop in exports. Grapefruit cultivation is declining, while mandarin cultivation is expected to grow slightly. Additionally, the 2023-2023 season is anticipated to see an 8% production increase due to high foreign demand, new plants maturing, and expanded harvest areas.

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

Original content

According to a new report released by the US Department of Agriculture, USDA South African orange growers are redirecting these fruits from export and local markets to processing plants to take advantage of record orange juice prices. Rainfall towards the end of 2023 ensured sufficient irrigation water for all citrus-producing regions in South Africa, raising expectations for improved yield and quality of all citrus varieties in the 2023-2024 season. However, northern regions experienced dry conditions during the fruit growing period, resulting in smaller fruits and a lower proportion of citrus meeting export standards. Consequently, export volumes of oranges, grapefruits and lemons are expected to be lower than previous forecasts. Oranges remain stable USDA expects South Africa's orange growing area in the 2023-2024 season to remain stable at 42,990 hectares. Thanks to abundant rains in November and December 2023, especially in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape regions, total ...

Source: Comitedecitricos