South African citrus production should maintain a very good level in 2018, after a record 2017 season.
True, the Western Cape and part of the south of the Eastern Cape have been afflicted by a very severe drought, which should weigh down on their production. However, these two zones represent less than 15 % of the total harvest. Above all, we should recall the new boom expected in easy peelers and lemon production, due to the explosive growth in surface areas in recent seasons. So while the harvest prospects are rather bright, the campaign is not for all that set to go smoothly. The sanitary restrictions in force in the EU-28 will be more drastic, with the implementation for the first time of False Codling Moth control measures, and the probable hardening of measures relating to Black Spot after a significant number of interceptions during the end of the 2017 Valencia season. Furthermore, the strengthening of the rand against the main currencies in use on the country’s big export markets, is another challenge. According to CGA, an exchange rate loss of 10 % would cause a 35 % revenue loss for the producer.
Sources: CGA, Freshfruit portal
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