Next Level Sustainable Farming – The Untold Story
Recently South Africa has faced hardships including the riots in Kwa-Zulu Natal and the taxi-violence that escalated in the Western Cape. While we manage these challenging events along with the pandemic, the country still has many positive stories to share and embrace.
Our very own Summer Citrus from South Africa story of collaboration and sustainable farming is just the kind of positivity we are most proud to share:
- Our approach to farming is all about food production that is in harmony with nature.
- By farming the land, we aim to preserve the natural habitat for generations to come.
- We remember to make the economics work!
- Our people are our biggest asset.
- We believe that nature gives you the results of the effort you put in.
We are happy to share this video and hope you'll take a moment to hear more on our sustainability efforts from three of our Board of Directors and prominent grower-exporters, Boet Mouton, Stiaan Engelbrecht and Gerrit van der Merwe.
Summer Citrus FAQs
Q: Where is the unrest in South Africa and how has the SCSA program been impacted?
The riots and violence have been centralized in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng.
South Africa is the 2nd largest exporter of citrus globally and the majority of the fruit is being produced in the Northern part of South Africa and shipped from Durban (Kwa-Zulu Natal).
The Summer Citrus from South Africa group is primarily located in the Western Cape of the country and our product is shipped from Cape Town to the US. We put a lot of effort into our pre-season planning and have long-term strategic partnerships with global supply-chain service providers. These relationships are critical to the success of the operation! While our country faces challenges, our operation remains unaffected.
Q: South Africa is working its way through the 3rd and most severe wave of COVID-19. How has it impacted the SCSA program?
The pandemic has increased demand for citrus products, provoked out-of-the-box thinking and forced us to run our business “prepared for the worst and expecting the best”!
We have a very healthy system and shipping plan in place, and we address challenges swiftly as they arise. Throughout the supply-chain, from harvest to shipping and distribution, systems were put in place to protect the workforce and secure the execution of our program.
While the pandemic has presented its challenges, we have grown stronger as a result and work in greater collaboration together as a team.
Production Update
Overall, we are on-par with YTD estimates on both Easy Peelers and Oranges. The biggest growth will be later on with the Mandarin varieties, which will soon start to arrive.
Stay Connected
Stay in contact with our importers and growers throughout the rest of the summer season. Remember to share this trade newsletter with your friends and colleagues.
Your support and partnership are invaluable to our organization and efforts.
I would like to thank all for the continued support and being part of our success story!
Suhanra Conradie
CEO – Summer Citrus from South Africa
suhanra@summercitrus.com
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