South African citrus exports to the European Union (EU) have seen a growth of 2.5 million cartons this year, according to Citrus Growers’ Association of southern Africa CEO, Justin Chadwick.
“With roughly 20% of total southern African citrus now packed and shipped, the early season has seen 9.8 million cartons of fruit sent to the EU compared to the 7.3 million cartons sent this time in 2015,” said Chadwick.
He added that Satsuma citrus exports had reported a final volume of 1 873 099 cartons which was 4% higher than the initial estimated figure.
Other markets that have shown a modest increase over the past year include:
The Middle East: 4.8 million cartons in 2016 versus 4.4 million cartons in 2015.
North America: 1.2 million cartons in 2016 versus 0.7 million cartons in 2015.
Asia: 3.7 million cartons in 2016 versus 3.6 million cartons in 2015.
