South African citrus exports hit record 203M cartons, surpassing projections

SOUTH AFRICA – The South African citrus industry has set a new record, exporting 203 million cartons of fruit this year, more than 30 million cartons higher than the original estimate by the Citrus Growers Association (CGA).

At the start of the season, the CGA had projected a total of 171 million cartons. The final outcome exceeded all expectations, marking one of the strongest performances in the country’s agricultural export history.

“All partners have cooperated to make this a success, and most importantly the logistics flow and the ports also held up well overall,” said Dr. Boitshoko Ntshabele, chief executive of the CGA.

Dr. Ntshabele noted that the achievement came during a period marked by government restructuring, trade discussions, and policy changes. “The citrus industry’s Vision 260 was conceptualised with the goal of exporting 260 million 15kg cartons by 2032, with an estimated 100,000 jobs created,” he said.

The record performance has surprised many analysts who expected a slower rebound following last year’s decline in export volumes. Industry experts now say that the sector is firmly on track to reach its 2032 export target.

Policy and trade considerations

Dr. Ntshabele also highlighted recent government reforms affecting the agricultural sector. He explained that “the recent reorganisation in South African agricultural ministries articulates the evolution of pesticide policies.” He added, “We want to stress that wherever this policy ultimately lands, it must not negatively impact the access to tools for the agriculture industry.”

The 2025 citrus campaign unfolded against a backdrop of shifting international trade relations, including reciprocal tariffs introduced by the United States and South Africa’s G20 presidency, which concludes next month.

“With all this as background, one feels that there is an opportunity for a refocus and reorientation of policy to support the growth potential within agriculture,” Ntshabele said.

He added that government discussions on market diversification have not yet offered concrete plans. “Government has since the advent of the US tariff issue spoken of diversification of markets but there has as yet been no substantial clarity in terms of a ‘how’ we are to achieve this as a sector.”

Optimism for the future

Dr. Ntshabele believes the extra export volumes from the citrus industry will require new and varied markets. “The contribution of agriculture to the economy continues to beg for a response from government to channel the positive momentum into a direction where all stakeholders are aligned, so that opportunities are created especially for private public partnerships as envisaged in the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan,” he said.

The successful season has lifted confidence across the sector. “Optimism in agriculture often translates into further investment, so the economists tell us,” Ntshabele said. “The AAMP is premised on a PPP approach, and with a bit of optimism in the air, the time to strike is now in terms of implementation.”

The strong performance has set a promising tone for the coming year, reinforcing South Africa’s position as one of the world’s leading citrus exporters.

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