Record export performance of 203mn cartons exceeds original estimates by more than 30mn cartons, with industry leaders citing successful cooperation and logistics as key factors in the achievement
The South African citrus industry has had a record year with 203mn cartons of fruit exported, more than 30mn cartons higher than the original estimate.
At the start of the season the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) predicted a crop of 171mn cartons.
“All partners have cooperated to make this a success, and most importantly the logistics flow and the ports also held up well overall,” said Dr Boitshoko Ntshabele, chief executive of the CGA.
“This comes at a time during which policy discussions, government restructuring, trade issues, and future vision have been top of mind.
“The citrus industry’s Vision 260 was conceptualised with the goal of exporting 260mn 15kg cartons by 2032, with an estimated 100,000 jobs created, he noted.
”Agriculture exports have been reported higher than expected, especially given the general headwinds and geopolitical tension.”
Industry sources said that last year’s drop in export volumes was indeed just a blip.
This fall seemed to indicate that the growth pattern of the past few years had slowed down. This year’s finale export figure, they said, shows that the industry is indeed ahead of target to reach the 2032 mark.
The recent reorganisation in South African agricultural ministries articulates the evolution of pesticide policies, Ntshabele continued.
“We want to stress that wherever this policy ultimately lands, it must not negatively impact the access to tools for the agriculture industry.”
The bulk of the current campaign was overshadowed by changes in US policy, with the imposition of reciprocal tariffs, with the other dominant issue South Africa’s G20 presidency, which ends next month.
“With all this as background, one feels that there is an opportunity for a refocus and reorientation of policy to support the growth potential within agriculture,” he outlined.
”Government has since the advent of the US tariff issue spoken of diversification of markets but there has as yet been no substantial clarity in terms of a ‘how’ we are to achieve this as a sector.”
Ntshabele noted that the additional volume imminently coming from the citrus sector needs new and varied markets.
“The contribution of agriculture to the economy continues to beg for a response from government to channel the positive momentum into a direction where all stakeholders are aligned, so that opportunities are created especially for private public partnerships (PPP) as envisaged in the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP).
He said that the positive sentiment from the season’s performance seems to be crowding out the negatives experienced, creating an air of optimism for the future.
“Optimism in agriculture often translates into further investment, so the economists tell us,” he added.
”The AAMP is premised on a PPP approach, and with a bit of optimism in the air, the time to strike is now in terms of implementation.”
