“The only area that has had a fairly hard frost is the northern Cape,” said Justin Chadwick of the Citrus Growers’ Association of South Africa. “More than anything, it is helping colour develop a lot more quickly. In the western Cape, the winter rainfall is what we would expect for the area - it can disrupt harvesting, but it is what is needed.”
He added that the Navel harvest is running slightly behind last year and one million cartons of an expected crop of 16m cartons have been harvested.
Overall citrus volumes are expected to be more in line with last year than the higher levels achieved in 2005 and first forecast at the outset of the season.
The conditions have been welcomed by growers of other crops in the Cape region too.
“We had snow two weeks ago in the Cape in the mountains and temperatures have fallen to between 5°C and 8°C Celsius,” said Elaine Alexander of South African Table Grape Industries. “We have started the winter with good rainfall and this is our main rainfall period so I hope this continues.”
Anton Rabe of the Deciduous Fruit Producers’ Trust, added that top-fruit and stonefruit growers need the rainfall over the coming three months to fill the reservoirs ready for irrigation in the summer. “It is fantastic that the winter has started so cold,” said Rabe. “The crops need the cold units and the rains so far are very welcome.”
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