As new growing areas go on line, however, the challenge is to maintain existing world markets. Other countries that were large exporters a decade ago, such as Israel and Cuba, have been replaced by Turkey and China in the fluctuating citrus trade.

The Citrus Growers Association (CGA), the members of which include all the citrus farmers of South Africa and Swaziland, said to keep market share ways are needed to address shipping challenges and to transform growers from conservative farmers wedded to their ways into savvy business people who understand how to serve global markets.

"Growers don't wish to change the way they've been doing business. As an industry, we've been exporting for a century, but we still don't have it right," said Justin Chadwick, the chief executive of the CGA.

Up to 90 million cartons of citrus products, weighing 14kg each, were exported by CGA members last year, but the CGA estimates that losses ran between R10 and R15 a carton, totalling between R800 million and R1.2 billion.

The citrus export season runs from May to September, and with the recession in Europe affecting that market for citrus last year, local exporters shipped further abroad.

Forty-five percent of South African lemons were shipped to the EU in 2008, but last year the amount fell to 28 percent, while the share of lemons shipped to the Middle East rose to 43 percent. Middle Eastern buyers also imported 28 percent of local navel oranges, 22 percent of Valencia oranges and 7 percent of soft citrus.

Asian markets imported more than a third of last year's grapefruit shipments.

Exports to Russia were also up last year, filling gaps left by lower EU purchases. Eleven percent of Valencia oranges and lemons went to Russia, as well as 9 percent of soft citrus, 8 percent of navels and 6 percent of grapefruit.

Road and sea shipping lines, shipping agents, port authorities and cold storage facilities all enjoyed a profit from their roles in citrus exports. But growers took a beating.

"We need a way for money to come back to the farmer. Growers set their own prices, and they need to sit down with their agents," said Chadwick.

More local citrus for export is in the pipeline. Last year, billions of rands of investment - R200 000 per hectare to turn the desert environment flanking the Orange River near Upington into groves of green citrus trees - resulted in Oranje Rivier Region being declared as the 18th official production region for SA Citrus.

The Oranje Rivier Region will produce Valencia, grapefruit and lemons. The area's hot temperatures work well to control pests, which remain a constant threat to southern African groves.

Sixty percent of citrus exports depart from Durban, 40 percent of total shipping leaving that port. Thirteen percent of citrus exports to European markets use the Cape Town port, representing 63 percent of exports from there. Citrus destined for the Middle East makes up 50 percent of export volume out of Port Elizabeth port.

SOURCE: BUSSREP