If South African exporters manage to get all the fruit available for export into the market under current operating circumstances, it will be a mammoth task.“It is not export as normal,” said Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA).Chadwick told Freight News that while exporters were a resilient bunch and had risen to the unprecedented challenge facing them, getting fruit to market was not just “a mammoth” undertaking for growers and packers but the entire supply chain.
On a positive note industry had forged a much closer relationship with the government and with Transnet. “This new relationship is allowing industry and government to work together to address challenges. It is a new normal which bodes well for the f uture.”
According to John Edmunds, CGA information manager, the March estimate pointed to 141.9 million cartons of citrus to be exported from Southern Africa in 2020. “Adjustments have been made and the latest projections are lower. Grapefruit, for example, has adjusted down 13% from 14.7 million cartons to 12.9. Soft citrus has also come down 3% from 23.3 million cartons t o 22.7.”
Lemons, on the other hand, have been adjusted up 4% from 26.4 million cartons to 27.6.
“It is still early days for oranges. Navels are unchanged at 26.5 million cartons while Valencias are marginally up from 50.4 to 50.5 million cartons, with Zimbabwe expecting better exports,” said Edmonds who believes that despite some lower volumes for some product the outlook is still cautiously optimistic.
“The positives we can draw are that overall our citrus crop is looking very good in terms of quality and count distribution i.e. a very marketable crop. Generally, colour development was early which allowed for an early start to exports for grapefruit and lemons. The relatively early winding down of the northern hemisphere season also helped.”According to the CGA, there has been good demand in Europe for all citrus commodities but the Middle East was oversupplied with lemons and grapefruit early in the season.
