Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA) reported on Monday that despite unusual patterns, a strong lemon season is coming to an end.
CGA said that they have reported a strong lemon season for 2026. “The season has notably departed from established norms in two respects: both the larger size of the crop and the earlier timing of the season's course have been unusual by historical standards.”
CGA added that the lemon season for the Northern growing regions has effectively drawn to a close, with final volumes tracking closely in line with the updated estimates communicated throughout the season. “As elsewhere in the country, this increase was largely due to increased rainfall resulting in improved fruit size.”
CGA said that the Sundays River Valley, in the Eastern Cape, widely regarded as one of the premier lemon-growing regions in the world, has shown significantly increased yields per hectare, marking a welcome recovery after two consecutive years of average crops.
“Current assessments indicate the Northern Hemisphere lemon season will, in the next few weeks, not yet have reached the stage where it is able to fully replace Southern Hemisphere supply.”
