Industry experts claim that South African farmers should take advantage of the recent success of the BRICS summit in South Africa to explore this market with six additional members.
Senior agricultural economist Paul Makube: “Citrus exports have so far been good with 127.1 million cartons shipped as of week 34 of the 2023 export season relative to 120.7 million cartons in 2022. The stringent EU regulations on plan safety in particular the Citrus Black Spot (CBS) and the False Codling Moth (FCM) continue to limit growth in exports which saw the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) lowering its estimate from the initial 165.6 million cartons to 157.2 million cartons as of 1st September 2023. This reflects tough trading conditions.”
John Hudson, Nedbank's head of agriculture, said despite a tough operating environment, South Africa agricultural exports remained robust in the second quarter of this year, which was good news and demonstrated the sector's resilience despite the challenges faced on many fronts.
Source: iol.co.za