CITRUS Cautious outlook for citrus industry in 2023

There is cautious optimism in South Africa’s citrus industry, but stakeholders are reluctant to commit to any specific predictions for the upcoming season.  

- Magda du Toit

While citrus holds the biggest potential for South African agricultural exports in terms of value, the outlook for 2023 is cautious and role players are reluctant to voice expectations or to commit to forecasts.

“It’s difficult at this point to make predictions. We’ll only be able to comment on the 2023 season after our Citrus Marketing Forum meeting in March, ” Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), told Farmer’s Weekly.

According to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) Baseline Agricultural Outlook for 2022 to 2031, the risk of weak global economic growth in the medium term, with a probability of high inflation, could have serious implications for South Africa’s fruit exports.

Over the past decade, the industry saw an average annual growth in the area planted to citrus: oranges showed a 1,5% increase in plantings; soft citrus a 17,6% increase; and lemons a 15,1% increase. Grapefruit, marginally down by 0,8%, was the only citrus crop that showed a decline in the planted area.

Despite uncertainty on the market, the BFAP report showed that the industry was still growing, as indicated by budwood sales. Moreover, many farmers had invested in netting to increase the quality and packout rates of their fruit.