Eastern Cape citrus harvest faces catastrophe due to heavy rain

Heavy rainfall in South Africa's Eastern Cape is causing a catastrophic end to the citrus harvest season. Farmers report that virtually no fruit could be harvested recently, leaving tens of thousands of crates of lemons, Nadorcotts, Tangos, and Valencias still on the trees.

Growers in the Sundays River Valley have noted that the timing of the rain is particularly damaging. High acidity levels in fragile citrus varieties are dropping to levels that may disqualify the fruit from export markets. While some farms increased picking crews by over 25% to accelerate the process, the weather continues to disrupt operations.

Despite the current spring rains and late snow on eastern plateaus, meteorologists from the South African Weather Service suggest this does not contradict El Niño patterns, noting that spring cut-off lows can occur even during El Niño years.