South Africa's citrus sector, driven by new technology and favorable conditions, has overtaken Spain as the top global exporter, promising growth despite rising farming costs.
South Africa's struggling economy has got a good dose of Vitamin C.
Recently released data has shown that in 2025, South Africa overtakes Spain As the world's No. 1 citrus exporter for the first time, crop failures in key Northern Hemisphere regions like Florida provide low-hanging fruit that the country needs to understand and squeeze.
South Africa's citrus industry packed and shipped a record 204 million 15 kg cartons of fruit in 2025, a 24% increase on the 164.5 million cartons shipped in 2024. For 2026, the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) latest estimate This is seen to grow to 209.5 million, although this may be cut due to flood damage which could reduce the Eastern Cape's crop by 15%.
South Africa also managed to overtake Spain on this front, as yields in that country had declined due to structural issues such as bad weather and aging orchards. Spanish export volumes declined by 10%, and the 2.9 million tonnes exported by South Africa was slightly more than the Spanish total.
This is an impressive achievement and a testament to the investment in new gardens and simple but expensive technology such as netting made by South African growers, who…