In the 2023 Southern African citrus export season, growers faced challenges. Issues included power cuts, rising input costs, floods, and a logistics crisis at ports, freight rail, and unjust EU regulations. Despite challenges, Justin Chadwick, CEO at Citrus Growers Association says improved market prices and reduced shipping costs provided relief.
In the 2023 export season, Southern African citrus growers packed 165.1 million (15kg) cartons for delivery to global markets. While this is an increase of approximately 800 000 from the packed figures of last year, it is still 500 000 cartons lower than the forecast at the start of the season and more importantly, substantially below the anticipated growth curve based on plantings that can see the industry potentially hitting 200 million cartons in the next 4 years, and possibly 260 million cartons by 2032.
This highlights that growers continued to face several challenges when it comes to getting their fruit to key markets.
Load shedding, floods and Transnet
These challenges included sustained high levels of load shedding. The general surge in farming input costs continued during the 2023 season and placed pressure on growers. Devastating floods in the Western Cape in June also impacted farms in that province.
Another significant challenge was the worsening logistics crisis, which has paralysed large segments of our country’s export economy. Congestion at ports and a dysfunctional freight rail network has cost farmers dearly and is, in effect, halting growth opportunities for the citrus industry.
The CGA continues to engage with Transnet on these issues but is in full support of Transnet expediting public-private partnerships both in the ports and the rail system as a matter of urgency.
EU regulations
Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by the industry this season has been an intensification of the unjustified phytosanitary regulations imposed on our growers by the European Union (EU). Taken together, the unnecessary protocols and proactive measures against Citrus Black Spot (CBS) and False Coddling Moth (FCM) are costing the local citrus industry R3.7 billion annually.
But even considering these challenges, one should acknowledge that after an extremely challenging two years, where only one in five growers made a profit, this year’s better market prices and reduced shipping costs offered a measure of relief to many growers. We are grateful for this small measure of relief.
Looking at particular cultivars, this year’s export figures sketch a complicated picture. This year 1.9 million fewer cartons of grapefruit were packed for export than in 2022. Mandarin exports continue to increase substantially.
Promising increases
This past season 37.9 million cartons were packed, an increase of 6.1 million year-on-year and 3.8 million more than estimated at the start of the season. Lemons also showed an increase.
At least 900 000 more cartons were packed this past season, however, this was 1.3 million cartons less than the pre-season estimate. Oranges have shown a decrease overall.
This year 24.7 million cartons of Navels were packed, 3.1 million less than last year, and slightly below the estimate. Valencias also recorded a decrease – 1.7 million cartons less, with a total of 52.1 million cartons packed.
- Justin Chadwick is the CEO at Citrus Growers Association. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Food For Mzansi
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