The new Philippine market potentially offers the opportunity for South African producers to export 20 000 tons of citrus fruit a year. After twelve years of negotiations between South Africa and Philippines the landmark export plan was at the end of last year. The South African citrus industry is expected to grow with approximately 500 000 tons over the next few years. Thus, expanding to new markets is of upmost importance to ensure that an oversupply does not occur in existing markets. The area used for soft citrus production is expected to grow with approximately 29 %, of which 42 % of the growth is expected to be mandarins.
The new Philippine market imported 117 000 tons of citrus between 2016 and 2018, of which 80 000 tons were imported mandarins. Argentina and Australia have historically been the Southern Hemisphere’s largest exporters of mandarins to the Philippines, but with the opening of the new market and the growth in the South African mandarin production capacity, hopefully the local South African citrus industry will pass them as the main soft citrus suppliers to the Philippines (Majola, 2021).
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Source:
Given Majola
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