---
title: "SA citrus eyes record export of 180m cartons, but Trump tariffs may prune that estimate"
description: "US consumers and citrus growers in the Western and Northern Cape both stand to lose from the Trump administration’s looming 30% tariff on South African imports. There are no winners in this sad saga, and crates of citrus may go to waste."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "TICKING CLOCK"
author: "Ed Stoddard"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ed-stoddard/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-30-sa-citrus-eyes-record-export-of-180m-cartons-but-trump-tariffs-may-prune-that-estimate/"
published: "2025-07-30T22:21:05"
updated: "2025-07-31T08:53:39"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 447
---

# SA citrus eyes record export of 180m cartons, but Trump tariffs may prune that estimate

> US consumers and citrus growers in the Western and Northern Cape both stand to lose from the Trump administration’s looming 30% tariff on South African imports. There are no winners in this sad saga, and crates of citrus may go to waste.

By Ed Stoddard · Published 31 July 2025, 00:21 SAST · Updated 31 July 2025, 10:53 SAST

## Key points
- South African citrus growers are on the brink of a record harvest, but looming US tariffs may leave both farmers and American consumers in a bitter squeeze.
- South African citrus growers anticipate a record export of 180 million cartons this season, a 9% increase from last year’s figures.
- The citrus industry, vital to the economy, employs around 140,000 people and supports various sectors from carton production to roadside sales.
- Anxiety looms as the US plans to impose a 30% tariff on South African imports starting 1 August, threatening exports primarily from the Western and Northern Cape.
- The CGA warns that the tariff could lead to unsold citrus, harming both South African farmers and US consumers who rely on off-season imports.

## Content

South African citrus growers have a bumper crop on their hands, and according to the[latest estimates](https://www.cga.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/From-the-Desk-of-the-CEO-30_25-25-July-2025.pdf) from the Citrus Growers Association (CGA), the industry expects to export a record 180 million 15kg cartons of the fruit this season.

That would be an above 9% increase on 2024’s 164.6 million, which was just shy of the 2023 record of 165.1 million cartons packed for global delivery.

![citrus](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-07-30-16_17_48-Greenshot.jpg)This is a big deal. South Africa is the world’s second-largest citrus exporter after Spain, juicing the domestic economy with forex earnings, job creation and a value chain that extends to carton producers, input providers and roadside stands. The industry employs about 140,000 people.

But the tariff tantrums of the US administration could prune the current record estimate and reap a bitter harvest in the Northern and Western Cape, where the South African citrus destined for the American market is grown.

Friday, 1 August is D-Day for US President Donald Trump’s 30% tariffs on South African imports to kick in.

“This week, with the tariff deadline on Friday, is one of great anxiety for the citrus growers in the Western and Northern Cape. These two provinces annually export about seven million cartons to the US,” said Dr Boitshoko Ntshabele, CEO of the CGA, [in a statement](https://www.cga.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MEDIA-STATEMENT-28-Jul-2025-Citrus-Growers-ask-for-Ramaphosas-urgent-intervention-on-US-trade.pdf) this week.

“The CGA has asked President Ramaphosa to urgently facilitate an extension of the current 10% US tariff beyond 1 August,” the statement said.

### **What this means for you**

This is but one example of many of how Trump’s ham-fisted trade policies will backfire on the US while hurting foreign industries. Trump likes to play a zero-sum game, but there are no winners here. US consumers, South African farmers and their employees all stand to lose.

For producers in the Western and Northern Cape, the clock is ticking.

“Seasonal fresh produce is perishable and cannot be stored for extended periods, like other trade products. The midpoint of the 2025 export season has just passed, which means hundreds of thousands of cartons of citrus are ready in pack houses to be shipped to the US over the next few weeks. The implementation of a 30% tariff on 1 August will mean most of this fruit will be left unsold,” the CGA said.

The fruit will not be wasted - charitable donations are an option but US consumers will lose out. Citrus is a seasonal winter crop, and US markets need produce from the Southern Hemisphere when it is summer up north.

“South African citrus growers do not pose a threat to US growers or jobs, as the produce sustains demand when local US citrus is out of season, benefiting US consumers,” the CGA said. **DM**