South Africa's citrus exports fall on Iran war disruption, bad weather

Nov 12 (Reuters) - South Africa's citrus shipments fell 1.5% this year, as the US-Israeli war with Iran disrupted access to some key markets and bad weather affected production in parts of the country, a farmers' group said on Thursday.

• Citrus growers exported 201 million cartons in the 2026 season, compared to 204 million cartons shipped in 2025, the Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA) said in a statement

• South Africa is the world's No.2 citrus exporter by value after Spain and citrus is the country's biggest agricultural export, earning 44.9 billion rand ($2.7 billion) in 2025

• Exporters struggled to access the Middle East market, which typically accounts for 20% of South Africa's citrus exports, amid a container shortage

• Exporters could often reach key markets such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia only through longer shipping routes, the CGA said

• Flooding across the Western and Eastern Cape destroyed some orchards in key producing regions

• Citrus exporters are bracing for the impact of South Africa's exclusion from the United States' African Growth and Opportunity Act, ending duty-free access to a market accounting for about 5% of citrus exports

  
  

  ($1 = 16.6030 rand)