Citrus volumes ‘low and slow’

Citrus continues to
be the black sheep
of South Africa’s
perishable export
family, with black spot still
a challenge.
“Citrus export volumes
have been low and slow,”
said an exporter who
preferred to not be named.
“The fruit sizes are small
compared to 2014 and this
makes marketing difficult.
At the same time producers
in the Limpopo area have
been late to pack volumes
and this has resulted in
lighter sailings.”
It has also been essential
for the citrus industry
to look seriously at
establishing new markets
in light of the ongoing
black spot issue with the
European Union (EU).
In March this year the
country’s citrus exporters
took a decision to suspend
all citrus exports to Spain
saying the country was
unfairly targeting South
African fruit. They believe
that continuing to move
product there would
ultimately endanger the
supply of citrus to the rest
of Europe.
The South African citrus
industry is valued at over
R8 billion, but it has been
under pressure to deal
with black spot – a fungal
disease that South Africa
maintains is not harmful
to importing countries
and only cosmetic. The
EU, however, has taken a
different stance.
“Not all our citrus
growing regions face these
challenges. The Western
Cape is black spot free
and the Upington area is
doing very well in citrus
production,” said the source.
“There is volume growth year
on year.”
Exporters have identified
the Middle East and South
East Asia as markets to
explore for citrus and
increased volumes to these
regions are already apparent.