Month: February 2023

Food inflation in South Africa is rising. It rose from 12.4% in December 2022 to 13.8% in January 2023, the fastest growth rate in nearly 14 years. Oils, fats, bread, cereals, and processed foods have driven the rise. However, vegetable and fruit prices were a big driver.

In January 2023, prices for fruit climbed by 5.6%, with apples and bananas leading the increase. Meanwhile the prices of vegetables has increased by 4.2% with onions, followed by potatoes and cabbage leading the way. The rise can be blaimed on national rolling blackouts which have become more severe in recent months, hail, and persistent heavy rains in crucial fruit and vegetable-producing regions.

South Africa has been fortunate to receive good rainfall this season. However, some areas received too much and national load shedding has decreased crop yields in traditionally warmer regions facing drought as irrigation remains inadequate.

Hail harmed the output of apples and pears in the Western Cape. At the same time, heavy rainfall in Mpumalanga has significantly delayed lemon harvesting, especially in areas which experienced landslides and significant flooding. In other regions, infrastructure has been destroyed by persistent rain and flooding, the lands remain wet, and more rain is forecast. As a result, harvesting delays remain in some locations, which results in a limited supply to consumers.

Fewer tomatoes are on retail shelves due to a nationwide supply shortage due to excessive rain and hail damage. Load shedding is also impacting those farms that farm hydroponically. The supply shortage has resulted in higher prices.

Since June 2022 prices for vegetables have been rising, but a pattern emerged during the last quarter of 2022. A combination of factors are responsible; the main one being supply tightness. The onion production area in South Africa was reportedly 20% smaller in 2022, resulting in the decreased supply, but demand remained the same. 2023 saw onion prices 51.9% higher year on year or 2.2% month on month.

The extreme rains have also impacted potato prices in South Africa as farmers could not reach their fields to harvest, but data from Potato-SA indicates that supply is now returning. Nonetheless, load shedding will likely continue to impact potato processing, which could pressure potato products.

Regrettably, high prices for some fruit and veggie products might continue for a while longer due to factors negatively affecting production.

The world over prizes the lemon tree for its lush green foliage and juicy fruit. Lemons are full of nutrients and vitamins and are well known for their cleansing properties.

Different cultivars are grown around the world, and there are five or six that are available in South African nurseries. Each has its value and virtues. Varieties found in South Africa include:

• Eureka – smooth-skinned fruit with yellow skin and greenish flesh with few seeds. High acidity and lots of juice.
• Genoa – smooth-skinned fruit with yellow skin when ripe and yellow to green flesh. Acidic and juicy.
• Limoneira – rough-skinned fruit released in South Africa around 1998. Light to deep yellow, depending on the time of harvest. Medium fruit. The skin has a high oil skin content and lemon aroma. Acidic with few pips.
• Lisbon – medium-size smooth-skinned fruit with yellow skin and pale flesh. High acidity and juice content.
• Meyer – small fruit with yellow to orange skin and yellow flesh. Less acidic than other lemons with plenty of juice.
• Cape Rough Skin – fruit with rough skin and odd shapes. Yellow when ripe with pale flesh. Acidic and moderately juicy. An old-fashioned lemon tree that has been cultivated locally for ages.

Home gardeners tend to favour either the Eureka or the Meyer. The Meyer originated in China and is believed to be a hybrid between a lemon and a tangerine or orange, whereas the Eureka is a true lemon. Both these lemon trees are exceptionally hardy, with the Meyer having an extra capacity to handle cold weather and frost.

The Rough Skin is the oldest variety of lemon in South Africa – named for its bumpy and uneven, thick skin. Like the Meyer, it is sweeter than other lemon varieties and makes a flavourful lemon juice. It was brought to South Africa via St Helena and planted in the Cape Town gardens of Jan van Riebeeck in 1654. Citrus was popular because of its high vitamin C content which helped to combat scurvy, a common affliction of many sailors.

No matter which variety of lemon is your favourite, each one has its unique qualities that make it a must for the garden.

The Eastern Cape is the biggest producer of lemons in South Africa, followed by Limpopo and the Western Cape. The lemon is one of the most important citrus fruits commercially grown in South Africa, with the Eureka or Lisbon lemon cultivars the most common.

India, followed by Mexico and China, produces the most lemons worldwide, but Spain is the biggest exporter of lemons, followed by Mexico and South Africa. Europe is South Africa’s largest export market, followed by the Middle East.

Following two years of export disruptions caused by COVID-19, unrest and cyberattacks on South African ports, 2022 saw another blow to South African citrus farmers, the loss of the Russian market due to sanctions after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. South Africa usually sends about 10% of its annual two billion dollars in citrus exports to Russia. Several other challenges faced the citrus sector this season, including soaring input costs, red tape hampering access to some European overseas markets, and ongoing operational challenges at the country’s ports.