South Africa becomes world number one citrus exporter

It is considered by the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa (CGA) a remarkable achievement and a testament to the hard work of growers and their workers, government, Transnet. The entire logistics supply chain has contributed to drive efficiencies upward. “Government played a significant role in securing markets for the industry, while Transnet and other stakeholders ensured a steady flow through the ports to destinations around the world” declared Dr Boitshoko Ntshabele on last CGA newsletter.

209 million 15kg cartons predictions for 2026  

The 2026 season estimate has now been updated to include late mandarins, showing that the citrus industry has 209 million 15kg cartons available for export. This confirms the upward trend but again calls for stronger partnerships as headwinds such as the war in the Middle East and its effects pose serious challenges as the season gathers momentum. As the largest in the Southern Hemisphere exporting country, South Africa ensures complementarity and continuity of citrus supply from Spain and the rest of Northern Hemisphere during their off-season, keeping consumers there supplied with citrus year-round and benefiting from its nutritional value.

For more information about predictions from South Africa, you can click here.