Up to a quarter of South African oranges destined for the European Union (EU) might not be shipped due to the impact of load shedding, in addition to new EU regulations – posing a potential loss of more than R500 million for local farmers this year. This warning went out from the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa (CGA) on Thursday. More than 400 000 tons of SA oranges were shipped to the EU in 2022. The citrus export industry supports 140 000 jobs and generates R40 billion in export revenue annually.
Government has announced that ports will be exempt from power cuts. However, according to the CGA, cold stores outside port terminals will struggle to pre-cool and maintain oranges at temperatures required by the EU until containers can enter the ports and are shipped off.
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Source:
Carin Smith
www.news24.com