Recently, the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) of South Africa released an update on projected orange exports for the current season. The update includes further downward adjustments to export figures for Navels. The CGA associates the continued downward trend with extreme weather in key growing regions. Navel orange export forecasts are now at 21 million 15kg cartons, a decrease of 19% from the estimated 25.7 million at the start of the season.
Projections for Valencia oranges were also revised down to 51.6 million cartons from an initial estimate of 58 million due to freezing temperatures and storm flooding.
Prior to the latest downward revision due to weather issues, South Africa’s orange season had been characterized by early dry and warm conditions. These conditions caused smaller fruit sizes and higher prices for juice, which attracted domestic production toward processing. According to the industry, the 2017 season was the last time similar orange export figures were seen.
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