The first South African citrus fruit of 2015 will be arriving in the US next week, while the first significant arrivals are scheduled for mid-June.
Citrus growers in the Western Cape region of South Africa say their 2015 harvest is earlier than usual following excellent growing conditions. This, along with other factors in favour of the South Africans, will enable them to be more price-competitive this year.
South Africa carried out pilot programmes last year in order to get fruit more quickly to consumers. One of these was shipping citrus to the Port of Houston in Texas.
“The fruit dictates our season,” says Johan Mouton, chairman of the Western Cape Citrus Producers’ Forum (WCCPF). “We are very pleased with the quality and colour and we are harvesting at the optimum stage.”
Extracted From Fruitnet Daily News: written by Fred Meintjies.
Read more about it:
