According to South Africa’s Citrus Growers Association (CGA), the South African 2022 citrus season, which started in April and ended in October, saw moderate growth from last year. Overall citrus exports grew by 3.7% YoY to 165 million cartons of 15 kgs. Of all the different citruses products, lemons had the highest growth, followed by mandarins and Navels. However, grapefruits and Valencia oranges both decreased in export volumes this season.
Exports of South African lemons had a substantial increase in volume this season. Lemon exports went from 29.7 million boxes in 2021 to 34.7 million boxes, a 17% increase. In fact, lemons were the only category where the volume exceeded the original estimate by the CGA. For mandarins, exports also had a YoY growth, going from 29.5 million boxes to 31.8 million in 20XX, an 8% increase.
Oranges, however, had a slightly negative season in 2022. Exports of all oranges, including Navel and Valencia, had a 0.7% YoY decrease by shipping 81.6 million boxes. Within the orange category, Navel oranges did have a very moderate growth from the previous season by shipping 27.8 million boxes for a 2.5% YoY increase. However, the decrease in Valencia oranges offset the Navel increase. South Africa exported 53.8 million boxes of Valencia this season compared with the 55 million exported in the 2021 season, a 2.2% decrease.
Similar to oranges, the export volume for grapefruit this season decreased compared to the previous year. Exports of grapefruits totaled 16.7 million boxes, a 3% YoY reduction from the 17.2 million exported last year.
For Elton Greeve, Tridge’s Origination Manager in South Africa, the 2022 citrus season was, in general, a very difficult season with price drops and oversupply in the market, especially in the Middle-East market. “Suppliers have expressed concern about the season's overall results, citing logistical challenges as a major source of concern, as well as new EU cold treatment regulations that disrupted the season,” he mentioned.
Despite all the different logistical challenges, such as new European regulations for cold treatment and port blockades in the main South African ports, citruses maintained a yearly growth rate. In fact, it has been reported that South African citruses dominated the European market during the peak export season. According to Marina Benino, Tridge’s Distribution Manager in Italy, on the eve of the citrus campaign, the Italian market was dominated by oranges, lemons, and grapefruits of South African origins, as its wholesale prices are currently lower than the domestic ones. “Wholesale prices for South African citruses in October ranged from USD 1.35-1.40/kg for Eureka lemons, USD 1.20-1.25/kg for grapefruit, and USD 1.45-1.55/kg for Valencia Late oranges. However, in Italy, the only available variety of lemon is Primofiore, which is currently sold at USD 3.30/kg in October”, she reported last month.
Additionally, owing to the concerns of new EU cold treatment regulations, South African citrus exporters searched for the development of new markets. Although the market share for citrus exports hasn’t been released, it has been reported that South African exports have substantially grown in the US market. According to the South African Summer Citrus Brand (SCSA), South African citrus exports to the US grew by 17% YoY in 2022.