The repercussions of the cold temperatures last week could be devastating, claims Gert Upton, the senior manager for sales and marketing for Groblersdal’s Schoonbee Landgoed. As citrus farmers continue to be at work in the orchards, making cuts to measure how much damage has been done but the emotional impact on whole blocks of citrus and lemons being frozen to death is taking their toll.

“In some areas, it was below freezing for about five hours. the trees were dying. Farmers have their entire crop has been destroyed. The trees could be just six, seven or even seven years old. The trees are now all set to be removed and you’ve forfeited the entire potential for investment, future income or opportunities in those orchards have been putting into these hectares in the past 5 or 6 years.” Upton says.

In Schoonbee the Schoonbee team has decided not to bring anything in over the next two weeks while they wait for the ruined oranges due to frost, to be able to reshape. It’s difficult to discern the effects of cold injury on soft citrus that dry out in the interior and pulls away from skin. However, the fruits still look flawless from the outside.

He explains that the magnitude of the devastation to their region as well as the greater Limpopo province has not been made evident. All are in their orchards taking inventory of what they’ve lost as well as what’s left.

The Citrus Growers’ Association today announced that the cold conditions that has swept through Senwes (Marble Hall ) and Groblersdal) is causing the estimate of navel in this area has decreased by 600,000 cartons while the Valencia volume by a million boxes.”

Future export cuts unavoidable

“There’s now a smaller amount of fruits available within the Northern Hemisphere from this point to. The supply comes from in the Southern Hemisphere and South Africa has already reduced its estimate of exports by 12 million cartons (15-kgin the first quarter of this year. And after the this week’s events, it’ll surely be reduced further. It’s going to be a costly couple of weeks in store for citrus in the evaluation of damages as well as the loss of revenue, regarding manufacturing, packaging and chemicals to be planned.”

Right: The effect of cold temperature on the softness of citrus.

Their marketing plans have been thrown out of whack and he anticipates a number of difficulties in how the country is going to be able to serve market (or not) through the remainder of the time.

The port in Durban is running well in contrast to Gqeberha and Cape Town, he notes because of the lower volumes of citrus and the cut removed by exports via Maputo port.

The price for orange juice can be a blessing as Schoonbee Landgoed’s juice production facility is capable of absorbing a large portion of the damaged quantity.

“Food will cause problems”

The severity of the cold damage was based on locations and topography of farms and extended all the way to north, to the major potato production regions such as Dendron and Vivo which are where entire fields of potatoes in their early stages can be frozen forever, resulting in millions of kilos are wasted. In the beginning, as farmers save the little they can of their devastated crop, the cost drops, but after that it’ll reach prices that will be that are unobtainable to a lot of South Africans.

“A number of products died and food supply is set become an issue. This will result in an impact on the economy, but it’ll also affect the social and psychological affect for the farmers as well as the individuals who have to return home earlier and payed less for the month. Many socioeconomic issues will result from this frozen situation.”

The remaining citrus farms could possibley put on the market He says it is slowly diminishing the food security of South Africa.

Schoonbee’s juice line.

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Gert Upton

Schoonbee The Landgoed

Tel: +27 13 262 4000

Email: [email protected]

schoonbee.co.za