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South Africa's citrus exports remained flat during the 2023 season, missing an industry target as the country's electricity and logistics problems worsened, the national growers' association said on Wednesday.
The world's second biggest citrus exporter after Spain shipped 165.1 million cartons of fruit in the 2023 export season, an increase of less than 1% on last year's figure, Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA) president Justin Chadwick said in a statement.
Chadwick said:
The underperformance of South Africa's state-run freight rail and port utility Transnet, which has throttled commodity exports across the economy, also hobbled citrus shipments.
READ: Transnet chaos continues as another executive jumps ship
"Congestion at ports and a dysfunctional freight rail network has cost farmers dearly and is, in effect, halting growth opportunities for the citrus industry," Chadwick said.
Chadwick added:
READ: Citrus growers say EU pest rules putting squeeze on exports, threatening jobs
The EU is South Africa's biggest export market, accounting for 33% of fruit shipments in 2022, followed by the Middle East with 19%.
The regulations have resulted in decreased orange exports to the Europe, Chadwick said, predicting a further decline in 2024.
Last year, South Africa lodged its first ever WTO dispute complaint when it challenged the EU's phytosanitary requirements for imports of oranges and other citrus products related to the False Codling Moth.
The CGA has also asked the South African government to lodge another WTO complaint against the EU over the citrus black spot regulations.
