The prospects for a positive season for South African grapefruit exports appear good after reports that Spain's own campaign has finished two weeks earlier than usual and stocks in Turkey are also lower than in previous years.
According to new figures published by Justin Chadwick, chief executive of the South African Citrus Growers Association, the country has already packed 12.9m 15kg cartons of grapefruit this year, just behind the 13m cartons it packed during the whole of last year.
With 9.8m cartons already exported and the country entering its peak period for shipments overseas, South Africa is now thought likely to produce a total of 15.9m cartons by the end of the season, up from the original estimate of 15m cartons.
Jose Antonio Garcia, director of Spanish citrus interprofessional group Ailimpo, said the results of Spain's own grapefruit season had been good. 'This year's grapefruit season, which just ended, has left us with a positive balance and a return of prices and market stability,' he reported. 'The average price at source stood at around €0.20/kg, 10 per cent more than in recent years.'
With Turkey producing less than usual and Israel reporting a normal-sized crop, grapefruit exporters in Spain have apparently enjoyed increased demand from buyers in Russia, a market dynamic that might account for the earlier conclusion to their campaign.
South Africa's grapefruit harvest was expected to be just over 419,000 tonnes this year, up 7.2 per cent on the previous season and 11.4 per cent higher than the average figure for 2003-2012.
Back in April, exports of the fruit were forecast to reach 224,365 tonnes, around 15 per cent up on the 2012 campaign and a 12.3 per cent increase on the ten-year average.
Overall citrus production in the Southern Hemisphere is expected to be almost 10 per cent higher this season, with exports set to rise by an anticipated 4 per cent in line with higher market demand.
