South African

South African Orange and OJ Production

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, International

South African orange and orange juice (OJ) production are both forecast to decline slightly in 2023–24 compared to the prior season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). FRESH ORANGES Orange production in South Africa is forecast at 1.62 million metric tons (MMT). That’s a decrease of 1% from the prior season based on a …

South African

South African Grapefruit Production

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, Grapefruit, International

Grapefruit is an unpopular citrus fruit in the South African domestic market, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. Consequently, only 5,000 metric tons (MT) of an expected 400,000 MT grapefruit crop in 2023–24 is forecast to be consumed in the country. The majority of South Africa’s grapefruit is expected to be exported. The production …

South African Lemon/Lime Production to Jump

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International, lemons

South African lemon and lime production in 2023–24 will increase by 10% compared to the prior year, to 720,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) forecast. ACREAGE The area planted with lemons/limes in South Africa has more than doubled over the past seven years, driven by global demand and rising global prices. However, …

Soft Citrus Forecast Up in South Africa

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International, Mandarins

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has forecast that South Africa’s tangerine/mandarin production will total 740,000 metric tons in 2023–24, up 4% from the prior season. Young trees coming into production is a primary reason for the increase. PLANTING EXPANSION SLOWSSouth Africa has 27,500 hectares of tangerines/mandarins, also known as soft citrus. The rapid expansion in …

impacts

Potential Climate Change Impacts on South American and South African Citrus

Daniel Cooper International, Weather

Like most speakers in a recent World Citrus Organisation (WCO) climate change discussion, those addressing South America and South Africa focused on potential impacts rather than already observed impacts. SOUTH AMERICA “Whether we are negationist or pro-climate change, we should agree that something wrong is occurring in our sector,” stated a slide from Oscar Salgado, an agricultural engineer and fruit …

South African Grapefruit Production Up

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, Grapefruit, International

South African grapefruit production is forecast at 420,000 metric tons (MT) for 2022–23 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s up slightly from prior-year grapefruit production of 416,000 MT. ACREAGE AND VARIETIESSouth Africa’s planted grapefruit area has grown by 18% over the past seven years, mainly driven by a surge in global demand, especially in …

South Africa Mandarin Production to Grow

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Tangerine/mandarin production in South Africa is forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) to grow by 6% in 2022–23 to 680,000 metric tons (MT). There is a growing trend to establish new orchards under netting, which has improved water efficiency, yields and the overall quality of mandarins in South Africa. INCREASED PLANTINGSThe South African tangerine/mandarin …

South Africa Lemon/Lime Production to Shrink

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International, lemons, Limes

Fresh lemon/lime production in South Africa is forecast to shrink by 13% to 653,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. In the prior season, the country produced a record 748,000 MT. The yield reduction this year is due to hailstorm damage in the Eastern Cape in November 2022. PLANTINGS …

South Africa Orange Production Steady

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International

Fresh orange production in South Africa is forecast at 1.63 million metric tons (MMT) in 2022–23, compared to 1.61 MMT in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The Western Cape province was affected by damage from hailstorms and strong winds, which may hamper production. Additionally, the Eastern Cape province received heavy rains, which could …

South Africa Citrus Estimate Higher Than Last Year

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International

The latest estimate for the South Africa citrus crop in 2023 is 165.6 million cartons. This is 800,000 more cartons than last year, The Vanguard International Group recently reported. Vanguard stated that two commodities — lemons and mandarins — have emerged over the past few years. Lemons have witnessed a significant surge in plantings. There are approximately 8,000 hectares of …

South Africa OJ Production to Rise

Josh McGill International, Orange Juice

Production of orange juice (OJ) in South Africa is estimated to rise by 6% to 33,120 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23, up from 31,320 MT in 2021–22. The estimate issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) is based on improved domestic orange production. In 2020–21, South Africa produced only an estimated 22,140 MT of OJ, …

South Africa Lemons/Limes to Hit Historic High

Josh McGill International, lemons, Limes

Production of fresh lemons and limes in South Africa is forecast to grow by 2% in 2022–23, bringing it to a historic high of 660,000 metric tons (MT). This forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) is based on conducive weather conditions and a growing number of young trees approaching full production. In 2021–22, South …

South African Mandarin Industry Sees Growth

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International, Mandarins

South African tangerine/mandarin (soft citrus) production is forecast to grow by 6% to 670,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23, up from 630,000 MT the prior year. The forecast is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  PLANTED AREAIn 2021–22, the area planted with tangerines/mandarins grew by an estimated 7% to 28,000 hectares from 26,151 hectares the …

Marginal Growth for South Africa Grapefruit Crop

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, Grapefruit, International

South Africa is forecast to produce 385,000 metric tons (MT) of grapefruit in 2022–23, up marginally from an expected 380,000 MT the prior year. The forecast is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  AREA PLANTEDThe grapefruit planted area in South Africa grew by almost 25% over the past seven years. However, grapefruit area is expected …

South African Orange Crop to Increase

Josh McGill International, Oranges

South African orange production is forecast to grow 3% in 2022–23, to almost 1.7 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  PLANTED AREA AND CULTIVARSOranges represent approximately 47% of South Africa’s 100,000 hectares of citrus orchards. Orange acreage grew by almost 14% over the past seven years. The Limpopo province is …

More Orange and OJ Production in South Africa

Josh McGill International, Production

The production of oranges in South Africa is estimated to grow by 6% to 1.6 million metric tons (MMT) in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently reported. The area planted with oranges is expected to continue its stable growth rate, expanding by 2% to 47,750 hectares in 2021–22. Limpopo province is the leading growing region …

lemon/lime

South African Lemons and Limes to Reach Record Production

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, lemons, Limes

Production of lemons and limes in South Africa will grow by 7% to a historic high of 670,000 metric tons (MT) in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently estimated. In 2020–21, South Africa produced 626,791 MT of the fruit. PLANTED AREAThe area planted with lemons and limes grew more than threefold over the past 10 …

South African Mandarin Production Boosted by Netting

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International, Mandarins

There is a growing trend of South African mandarin growers aggressively establishing new orchards under netting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently reported. The practice has improved water efficiency, yields and the overall quality of fruit, USDA/FAS says in its semi-annual South Africa citrus report. USDA/FAS says the production of tangerines/mandarins in South Africa is anticipated …

South African Grapefruit Growth Continues

Josh McGill Grapefruit, International

The growth in South African grapefruit plantings is expected to continue in 2021–22, increasing by 3% to 9,200 hectares, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) stated in a recent report. The area planted to grapefruit grew by 25% over the past seven years. Limpopo province is the leading growing region for grapefruit in the country, accounting for …

South Africa Shipping More Citrus

Ernie Neff International

Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) recently reported a 7% increase in shipment volume compared to the 2020 season. “Easy peelers are on-par with year-to-date estimates while navel oranges are slightly ahead,” SCSA stated in a media release. “Overall, quality and sizing are aligning well with the expectations of the U.S. market.” Boats from South Africa are scheduled to arrive …