South Africa failed to broker a last-minute deal to avoid the 30% trade tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump, which will come into effect on 7 August 2025. It is a development that has become a source of “great anxiety” for citrus growers in the Western and Northern Cape, according to the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA).

The two provinces export around 7-million 15kg cartons of citrus to the US each year. But rerouting that fruit is no simple task.

Diverting fruit to other markets could depress prices in those markets through oversupply, which would negatively impact the entire Southern African citrus industry, explained the CGA.

South Africa is the world’s second-largest exporter of citrus. In the 2024 season, more than 2-million tonnes of oranges, mandarins, grapefruits and lemons were shipped overseas. The two biggest markets are Europe (36%) and the Middle East (19%). North America, which includes the United States and Canada, takes 9% of the exports.