© Alexandra Sautois, Eurofresh Distribution

South Africa’s tangerine/mandarin crop is projected to rise by 12% in the 2019/20 campaign, continuing the sector’s strong growth of recent times. Total production is estimated to reach 421,000 tons, mainly due to an increase in production area, normal weather conditions, and improved winter rainfall received in the main production area of the Western Cape. Moreover, many plantings are now reaching maturity. COVID had a minimal impact on labour supply.

South Africa’s 2019/20 orange crop is projected to grow by 1% to 1.6 million tons, according to CGA data. The increase is attributed to good rainfall in the main growing regions, the rise in area planted, better water management techniques by farmers, and new plantings of high yielding and late-maturing varieties.

Rapid action against COVID-19 allowed the company to quickly adapt to continue operating within the restrictions implemented.

The spread of the Coronavirus reached Argentina at a key moment for local citrus farming. Just as Citrusvil was preparing to start the 2020 campaign, the company found itself facing an unexpected situation, which led it to rethink its actions and adapt its facilities to keep production processes active and redouble efforts to keep collaborators safe.

PRESS RELEASE

Following the formal adoption of the organisation’s Statutes in March 2020, the WCO Secretariat just collected and released the first crop production and export forecasts for the forthcoming Southern Hemisphere citrus season 2020. The preliminary forecast is collected from industry associations in Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay. The Secretariat is working closely with Brazil and Bolivia to include their data as well into the forecast very shortly.

© Oranfrizer

PRESS RELEASE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is authorizing the importation of five types of commercially produced fresh citrus fruit from China into the continental United States. After thorough analysis, APHIS scientists determined that pummelo, Nanfeng honey mandarin, ponkan, sweet orange, and Satsuma mandarin fruit from China can be safely imported into the United States under a systems approach to protect against the introduction of plant pests. 

April marks the start of the 2020 citrus season in South Africa, which will no doubt be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ports are reported to be operating at low levels, but packing of all fresh produce out of the country has so far continued uninterrupted, with farms and packing houses endeavouring to safeguard the working environment of over 120,000 workers.