South Africa’s citrus market outlook for the 2023/24 season

According to the South Africa: Citrus Semi-annual report recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, South African orange growers are redirecting their oranges from both export and local markets to processing plants to take advantage of record-high orange juice prices. Rainfall toward the end of 2023 ensured sufficient irrigation water for all of South Africa’s citrus-producing regions, raising expectations of improved yield and quality for all citrus varieties in the 2023/24 season. However, northern regions experienced dry conditions during the fruit growth period, resulting in smaller fruit and a lower proportion of citrus meeting export standards. Consequently, the export volumes of oranges, grapefruits and lemons are expected to fall short of previous forecasts. South Africa’s orange cultivation area in the 2023/24 season is projected to remain stable at 42,990 hectares. Benefiting from abundant rainfall in November and December ...