Early harvesting and packing have boosted shipment volumes by 31 per cent compared to last season, even as the industry braces for impending US tariffs
South Africa’s overall citrus crop is likely to exceed 180mn 15kg cartons this year, if current picking and packing continues to the end of the season.
This would represent an 11 per cent increase on the figures released in May.
Only the grapefruit crop, at 15mn cartons, is slightly down on previous predictions.
Lemons, at 36.3mn cartons, are now 10 per cent up on the previous forecast, and mandarins, at 47.4mn cartons, have increased 5.5 per cent.
In the orange category, Navels are expected to increase to 28.2mn cartons, which is 8 per cent higher than the May prediction, and Valencias stand at 53.1mn cartons, up 2 per cent.
The new forecast is good news for the South African industry and confirms previous reports of increased activities at the port of Durban.
It also comes at a time when South Africa is awaiting the final announcement of steep new US tariffs – which now seem to be unavoidable.
The latest forecast indicates that South African growers have been harvesting and packing earlier than last year.
In all categories the volume of fruit already shipped at this time of the year is running well ahead of last season.
So far this season, almost 31 per cent more citrus has been shipped.
