South Africa, one of the main competitors for Valencia’s citrus sector, has announced an early closure of its orange export campaign to Europe from some of its production regions due to the presence of the fungus Phyllosticta citricarpa, commonly known as citrus black spot (CBS). While the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) and the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF) presented the move as a gesture toward European growers, Spain’s Unió Llauradora i Ramadera has stressed that the measure in fact responds to mounting problems in shipments from areas where CBS is most prevalent.
In practice, the suspension applies only to regions where the pest has been detected and does not interrupt exports from supposedly CBS-free areas, which will continue supplying the European market. The Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces, for example, will maintain uninterrupted mandarin shipments. “We cannot really say that South Africa has brought forward the end of its campaign, since South African citrus, particularly mandarins, will continue entering Europe,” underlined Carles Peris, secretary general of La Unió.
According to the CGA and FPEF, the last day of inspections for oranges exported from affected areas will be Saturday 20 September. They emphasised that the early closure date would allow producers to complete processes and ensure shipments already approved can reach Europe by mid-October, when the season usually ends naturally.
Despite the partial suspension, South Africa expects to close the season with a sharp increase in sales to Europe, potentially exceeding initial estimates by 12%. This comes in a difficult context for exporters, after the recent imposition of 30% tariffs on South African citrus bound for the United States and the early end of shipments to that market, which has redirected much of the country’s focus toward Europe.
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The latest balance from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture shows a strong increase in South African citrus imports into the EU, both oranges and mandarins. According to these figures, arrivals from South Africa doubled between January and July compared with the same period in 2024, a situation that could intensify pressure on the local Spanish campaign.
South Africa’s citrus production, typical of the southern hemisphere, runs from May to October, overlapping with the start of Spain’s harvest. In recent years, the country has consolidated its position as Europe’s leading non-EU citrus supplier.
The partial closure coincides with growing concern among European growers over the risk of pest introductions. The Valencian Farmers’ Association (AVA-ASAJA) has reported that South African citrus has already registered 13 CBS interceptions this year, a quarantine disease due to its ability to cause severe losses in European citrus production. In August alone, two new cases were detected in mandarin and orange shipments, according to data from the European Commission’s TRACES platform.
In addition, AVA-ASAJA has highlighted seven interceptions in European ports of CBS and citrus canker (Xanthomonas citri) from Mercosur countries. The association, chaired by Cristóbal Aguado, is urging EU authorities to suspend imports from countries unable to guarantee the phytosanitary safety of their shipments, in order to prevent the introduction of pests that could sharply increase production costs and undermine the productivity of Europe’s citrus sector.
