Storms Disrupt South Africa’s Citrus Exports

According to South African media reports, Cape Town and its surrounding areas experienced multiple storms in early July, resulting in torrential rain and subsequent widespread flooding that severely damaged parts of the city’s infrastructure. The operation of several ports and railways was also affected, disrupting the transportation of fruit from producing regions to the country’s ports for export to international markets.

South African state-owned port operator Transnet reported that ships near the Cape of Good Hope encountered storm surges at sea. With waves reaching up to 10 meters, ports were forced to suspend their operations for several days for safety reasons. Transnet announced on July 11 that some ports were gradually resuming operations.

Container facilities in Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth experienced storms of varying intensities at different times, with the Port of Cape Town being the most severely impacted. Additionally, the main railway line between Johannesburg and Cape Town was washed away near De Wet, between the Hex River Valley and Worcester. Repairs to this section of railway are expected to take several weeks. Roads in the area have also been affected, but it is unclear if this will impact the transportation of avocados and citrus fruits from northern South Africa to Cape Town.

After weeks of extreme weather, citrus growers in the Western Cape region resumed harvesting on July 15. Gerrit van der Merwe, chairperson of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa, stated that shipments of citrus fruits to the Port of Cape Town would resume by July 21. However, the extent of the damage caused by the storms remains uncertain, and it is unclear how long repairs will take.

Van der Merwe noted that a more pressing issue is that the town of Citrusdal in the Olifants River Valley, along with a significant portion of its citrus crops for export, has now become isolated from the outside world for the third time in 18 months. The only alternative route, via Ceres, is unsuitable for heavy vehicles laden with fruit. Despite the delays in harvesting and transportation, van der Merwe expressed confidence in the ability of the South African citrus industry to maintain supply.

On the cultivation side, the storms brought some positive effects as well. The Hex River Valley experienced heavy rain and snow. Growers believe that the cold winter will benefit crop growth next season. The 10 days of continuous storms were reportedly the coldest the Western Cape region had seen in many years, which many consider a welcome change from the recent trend of warm winters.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.