Source: Daily Maverick
Heavy rainfall in South Africa’s Eastern and Western Cape provinces earlier this month — during early mandarin harvesting — caused widespread flooding that is expected to impact production.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported that the floods destroyed export-quality fruit and wiped out entire crops for some growers at the peak of the season.
The Eastern Cape recorded almost a foot of rain in three days. The Kouga Dam in the Eastern Cape went from 32% to 119% capacity in just over 18 hours. On May 7, the Gamtoos River, which flows downstream from the Kouga Dam, burst its banks. The heavy rains and the dam overflow affected the Gamtoos River Valley around Patensie, the region’s main citrus-production region. In the Western Cape, the citrus-production areas of Citrusdal and Boland also experienced heavy rains.
The South African citrus-export season began the second week of January and is expected to conclude in early October. The Eastern and Western Cape provinces account for 46% of South Africa’s total citrus-cultivation area. Just before the flood, growers were harvesting lemons and had just started to harvest clementines (mandarins).
Floodwaters submerged citrus orchards. Some reports indicate that the flooding destroyed export-quality fruit, while some growers lost their entire crop at the peak of the season. USDA FAS estimated that the flood affected 10% to 12% of production.
Packinghouses in the area were closed, and authorities could not inspect fruit for export during the first week of May. The heavy rains also disrupted electricity supply.
Citrus growers had invested in netting to improve volumes of export-quality fruit, but the rain damaged these nets. Growers also lost newly planted trees. After the rain stopped, orchards remained inaccessible due to waterlogging and mud.
The Citrusdal area in the Western Cape is reported to have received significantly more rain than in previous flood events. However, contacts reported that the extent of the damage appears less severe than in the Eastern Cape, and main citrus transport routes remain operational.
The rains reportedly delayed the season by a week, but farm operations were expected to resume.
On April 1, before the flood, the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa released its export estimates for 2026. At that time, the forecast pointed to continued growth.
See the full USDA FAS flood report here.
Source: USDA FAS
Share this Post