RSA clementines on tree

The South African satsuma harvest has now come to an end, with 1.6m of the predicted 1.7m cartons having been packed and passed for export.

The biggest part of the Satsuma crop has been shipped to the UK, according to the country's Citrus Growers Association (CGA), with 51 per cent of soft citrus sent to the country compared with 48 per cent at the same time last year. Northern Europe received more or less the same level as last year, although less of the early fruit was shipped to Russia.

The European Union, including the UK, southern and northern Europe, received 76 per cent of grapefruit shipments compared with only 39 per cent at the same time last year. 'This has been at the expense of Russia which, in 2010, had received 41 per cent of grapefruit shipped up to the end week 18. As usual in the early season most lemon exports have been to the Middle East,' said the CGA.

Meanwhile, South African citrus exporters to the US have started packing their first Clementine and Navels of the 2011 season in earnest.

The first container vessel of the season, Maersk Vilnius, will sail from Cape Town on 19 June and will discharge in Newark on 8 July, followed by a second container vessel, Independence, on 15 June.

However, the first significant volumes of the season will only depart from Cape Town on the specialised reefer vessel, Cape belle, on 28 May, with the vessel expected to carry around 2,200 pallets of Clementines and Navels.

Santa Spangenberg of Orix Exports, from the Orange River region, noted that because they produce organic grape fruit, the fruit has to be shipped by container to maintain the integrity of the product.

'The fact that all our fruit is organic means that we are in a different category than other exporters. It really gives us a competitive edge.'

Recently, some concern has been expressed about the expansion of citrus and specifically grapefruit production along the Orange River. 'With all the trees already in the ground we will have to plan the future marketing strategies very well,' Spangenberg added.

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