South African orange production is expected to reach 1.5 million MT this year, according to a report by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. That increase over the previous year's production is due to good weather, and combined with a weak rand, exports are also expected to increase. Orange exports for the season are expected to reach 1.1 million MT.
Grapefruit production for the season is expected to reach 410,000 MT due to good rainfall and maturation of new trees. Of that, 225,000 MT will be exported. Because of sluggish demand in Europe due to the economic situation there, South African citrus suppliers are increasingly looking to new markets in Russia and the Middle East.
Like orange exports and grapefruit exports, tangerine and lemon exports are also expected to be healthy at 120,000 MT and 160,000 MT, respectively. That's also due to good seasons for both commodities, with production for the season expected to reach 160,000 MT for tangerines and 260,000 MT for lemons.