THE Eastern Cape’s Sundays River Valley, widely regarded as one of the premier lemon-growing regions in the world, has seen significantly higher yields per hectare in the current season, marking a welcome recovery after two consecutive years of average yields.
A media statement from the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) described the 2026 lemon season as “strong”. The CGA said that the season has been notable for departing from established norms in two respects: both the larger crop size and the earlier timing of the season’s course have been unusual by historical standards.
Commenting in mid-July, the CGA said the lemon season for the Northern growing regions has effectively drawn to a close, with final volumes tracking closely in line with the updated estimates communicated throughout the season. As elsewhere in the country, this increase was largely due to higher rainfall, which improved fruit size.
“This season has also produced an unusual packing pattern. For the first time, a significant number of Sundays River Valley producers completed close to 80% of their lemon crop by the end of June – a departure from previous seasons in which progress across the valley has typically been far more uniform,” explained Hannes de Waal, vice chair of the CGA and CEO of the Sundays River Citrus Company.
While the Sundays River Valley was spared flooding, growers have monitored the potential downstream impact of those weather events (including an intense windstorm) and remain aware of potential impacts to the relatively low volumes still being packed in the valley. Current fruit sizing means local growers are packing count 64 and smaller lemons for export, with larger fruit being directed to the three juice factories serving the valley. That volume destined for processing may yet increase. This is due to a modestly improved lemon juice and oil price, offering some additional returns for farmers.
Pressures
The season is not without its pressures. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is having a tangible effect on export routes and market access, particularly for grade 3 fruit destined for Iraq. The additional cost of transhipping through Turkey has rendered those supply lines uneconomical, and very little grade 3 fruit is currently being packed for that market and instead being redirected to local juice factories at lower returns.
“Our growers are resilient, but the cost of geopolitical instability is real, and it is felt on every farm,” said Leroux Venter, chairperson of the CGA’s Lemon Variety Focus Group. “We are monitoring the situation closely, particularly as the Northern Hemisphere season approaches and market dynamics continue to shift.”
The mid-July export estimate figure for the entire national lemon season remained unchanged at 49.4 million 15kg cartons.
