Phikwe Citrus' first harvest due next month

Pauline Dikuelo - Chakalisa Dube | Monday February 26, 2024 06:00

Johan Janse van Vuuren, the project’s Operations Manager, conveyed to Businessweek on Tuesday that this harvest would signify Botswana's first-ever citrus exports. The initial harvest will feature lemons, followed by oranges, grapefruit, and naartjies in subsequent seasons.

“Everything is going well at the farm, and we are getting ready to start exporting our first-ever harvest which will be lemons,” he said.

Of the initial harvest, it is expected that 70% of the produce will be exported globally, with the remainder being sold domestically and in other African countries. A small portion of the annual production will be allocated for agro-processing into fruit juice and other products.

Janse van Vuuren said the amount of citrus fruit to be released to the local market cannot yet be determined as the project is mainly geared towards the export market.

“We would very much like to release some fruit on the local market but in terms of volume I cannot yet say. We are hopeful that our first fruit will be marketable in the European Union, Canada, and Malaysia amongst other markets,” he stated. The country's current annual citrus production is around 3,165 metric tonnes, representing only 2.64 percent of local demand.

Targeted international markets include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Asia, China, and Japan.

The operations manager said they planted 888 hectares and further development is anticipated based on land availability.

“As this is the first year of production and the trees are still on the small side and very young, the tonnage is sufficient for the trees' current capacity, and we believe we are on schedule to be at optimal production by 2026-2027,” he said.

The project is estimated to be one of the largest consolidated citrus developments in Southern Africa, aiming for a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes per annum.

It is poised to transform Botswana's citrus production landscape, providing employment for up to 1,500 people (permanent and seasonal).

Currently, the project has 220 permanent employees and 230 seasonal workers.

“The Selebi-Phikwe Packers facility is more than capable of handling all the fruit that the farm can produce for the next two to three years and plans are already in place to upgrade the facility once demands get higher,” Janse van Vuuren mentioned.

The project is a collaboration between the Mmadinare Multi-Purpose Cooperatives and Byldevallei International South Africa in which government invested P300 million. The initiative is led by Byldevallei Citrus Investor Pieter Scholtz, with 30% equity held by local investors.