At the half-way point in the season, South African summer citrus has continued to enjoy high demand across the US, with over 30,000 tonnes of fruit arriving in the country.
“There are several things which have made this season strong for us,” said Suhanra Conradie, CEO of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum. “First, virtually all domestic citrus products were gone from the marketplace when the first South African fruit arrived. This prepared retail stores to meet the consumer demand with South African citrus.”
Indeed, South African citrus exported to the US purposefully does not compete with domestic product, arriving in windows when homegrown citrus is no longer available.
Another contributing element to the successful South African season thus far has been late arrival in the US of other foreign products, Conradie explains.
“Weather is always a factor when it comes to produce,” she says. “While rain delayed some of the South African vessels, other exporting countries were also impacted by weather. When other non-domestic product entered the US market, demand for South African product was well-established and has remained steady to date.”
A third factor has been the open flow of information among importers and retailers about the volumes that are arriving.
“This is unique to the fruit industry,” Conradie enthuses. “We are very detailed to assure all our partners have what they need and know when it is arriving. Combined with the reliable quality of the South African citrus products which has been established over the years, this focused discipline results in satisfied consumers, retailers, importers – and growers!”
Conradie projects that the remainder of the season will be consistent with the beginning half, as the Midknight oranges begin arriving in the US.
South African citrus products will be available in the US through early November but not much beyond that.
“With the final vessel arriving during the third week of October, we expect to complete the season before the domestic product takes hold,” she concludes.
