South Africa reports slight drop in citrus exports after challenging season
Add Fresh Fruit Portal to GoogleAfter a campaign marked by climate disruptions, rising production costs, and geopolitical headwinds, the South African citrus industry reports 201 million 15-kilo cartons for export in the 2026 season.
According to a report by industry body Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), these results sit 1.5 percent below the 204 million cartons packed in 2025 and four percent below the sector’s original April estimate of 209.4 million.
CGA CEO Boitshoko Ntshabele underscored that numbers don’t tell the whole story and highlighted the impact of multiple external factors that jeopardized the country’s citrus operation this year, which he described as tough.
“Nearly every risk factor facing our industry materialized, including a war in one of our biggest markets, the Middle East,” he said. “Growers in most production areas achieved excellent yields on farm, but the conditions under which the fruit was exported tested every link in the chain.”
A hectic citrus season
The South African citrus sector was heavily impacted by the war in Iran, which dramatically limited market access to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Compounding the situation, the CGA said a container shortage created heavy port congestion, raising shipping costs and transit times.
Moreover, the country was hit by abnormal weather, with heavy rain and flooding across the Western and Eastern Cape. In many cases, this destroyed citrus groves, led to high fruit losses, and produced larger fruit, which clashed with a market demanding smaller calibers.
To add insult to injury, the CGA said a large Egyptian orange crop narrowed the South African export window in Europe, putting significant downward pressure on prices.
Ntshabele called on the industry to learn from this “highly unprofitable season” to avoid the same challenges in the future: “Our growers and the approximately 160,000 farm-level jobs they protect simply cannot afford it.”
Gerrit van der Merwe, Chairperson of the CGA, put the difficulties affecting the citrus season into context, underscoring that the industry remains profitable in the long term.
Image courtesy of CGA
“In the medium term most concerns remain, especially regarding the Middle East, but in the longer term the industry’s fundamentals have not changed: It remains well positioned to keep supplying high-quality fruit to the Northern Hemisphere during its summer months,” he said.
Results by segment
On closer look, lemons were the only category that experienced growing export volumes, reaching 51 million cartons. This is a 23 percent year-on-year increase and 11 percent above the original estimate.
Mandarins totaled 50.7 million cartons, five percent below 2025 and four percent below the original estimate. Nadorcott/Tango, the largest group at 29.8 million cartons, finished three percent below the estimate, while Clementines (5.2 million) and Leanri (2.2 million) were both 16 percent short. Meanwhile, Novas (5.7 million) grew two percent, and Orri (2.6 million) grew six percent, finishing ahead of initial estimates as young orchards came into bearing.
Valencia Oranges reached 58.8 million cartons, five percent below 2025 and seven percent below the estimate, which had to be revised downward throughout the season. Large fruit sizes clashed with market demand for smaller fruit, and growers and exporters applied stricter standards, choosing not to pack fruit that fell just outside specification.
Navel Oranges dropped more significantly due to bad weather: 20 percent below 2025 and 16 percent below the estimate, reaching 25.2 million cartons. In some areas, heavy rain affected the quality and taste profile of early and mid-season fruit, the CGA explained.
Finally, grapefruit remained at the same export level as in 2025 at 13.5 million 17-kilo cartons, but 14 percent below the April estimate. Processing-grade volumes shipped predominantly to China rose substantially.
*Main image courtesy of CGA | All other images are referential via Shutterstock
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