The Late Navels and mandarins will start next week in the Western Cape.
The quality of the navels will be very good according to Gerrit, some timely rain has given good brix levels and although volumes will be slightly down the pack out is expected to be high so it will even things out.
"The whole citrus season is running a week earlier that normal, but this should not affect the overseas markets," explained Gerrit. "The Californian and Spanish seasons were also earlier so the transition into both markets have been smooth."
Regular power outages are common in the country at the moment, but Gerrit said they had plenty of warning about this and have their own generators to ensure they have no down time.
The Euro is slightly up against the dollar which is looking promising for the growers.
For more information:
Gerrit van der Merwe (jnr.)ALG Estates
Tel: +27 22 921 3439 ext: 10
Email: gvandermerwe@algestates.com