What fresh produce does South Africa export?

South Africa ships oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons, table grapes, apples, pears, avocados, and plums. The calendar on this page gives each one's export window month by month.

When does South Africa export oranges?

South Africa ships oranges May–September, with April and October at the shoulders. These are export weeks out of the origin, not arrival weeks in your market.

Which ports does South Africa export fresh produce from?

Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha. The load port is worth knowing because the lane's transit — and so the shelf life left on arrival — is measured from it.

Season calendar

South Africa fresh produce export calendar

When South Africa ships citrus, table grapes, apples, pears, avocados and plums, month by month, out of Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha.

Load ports: Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha
Produce covered: Orange Mandarin Grapefruit Lemon Table grapes Apple Pear Avocado Plum
Lanes out of here: South Africa → Rotterdam, South Africa → United Kingdom

Peak — shipping in volume Shoulder — opening or closing Export windows out of the origin, not arrival weeks. Add the lane's transit.

South Africa fresh produce export calendar: which produce ships in which month.
Produce	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Orange May–September peak · April, October shoulder	January: Not shipping	February: Not shipping	March: Not shipping	April: Shoulder	May: Peak	June: Peak	July: Peak	August: Peak	September: Peak	October: Shoulder	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Mandarin April–August peak · March, September shoulder	January: Not shipping	February: Not shipping	March: Shoulder	April: Peak	May: Peak	June: Peak	July: Peak	August: Peak	September: Shoulder	October: Not shipping	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Grapefruit April–July peak · March, August shoulder	January: Not shipping	February: Not shipping	March: Shoulder	April: Peak	May: Peak	June: Peak	July: Peak	August: Shoulder	September: Not shipping	October: Not shipping	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Lemon April–August peak · March, September shoulder	January: Not shipping	February: Not shipping	March: Shoulder	April: Peak	May: Peak	June: Peak	July: Peak	August: Peak	September: Shoulder	October: Not shipping	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Table grapes December–March peak · April, November shoulder	January: Peak	February: Peak	March: Peak	April: Shoulder	May: Not shipping	June: Not shipping	July: Not shipping	August: Not shipping	September: Not shipping	October: Not shipping	November: Shoulder	December: Peak
Apple March–June peak · February, July shoulder	January: Not shipping	February: Shoulder	March: Peak	April: Peak	May: Peak	June: Peak	July: Shoulder	August: Not shipping	September: Not shipping	October: Not shipping	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Pear January–May peak · June shoulder	January: Peak	February: Peak	March: Peak	April: Peak	May: Peak	June: Shoulder	July: Not shipping	August: Not shipping	September: Not shipping	October: Not shipping	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Avocado April–July peak · March, August–September shoulder	January: Not shipping	February: Not shipping	March: Shoulder	April: Peak	May: Peak	June: Peak	July: Peak	August: Shoulder	September: Shoulder	October: Not shipping	November: Not shipping	December: Not shipping
Plum November–February peak · March, October shoulder	January: Peak	February: Peak	March: Shoulder	April: Not shipping	May: Not shipping	June: Not shipping	July: Not shipping	August: Not shipping	September: Not shipping	October: Shoulder	November: Peak	December: Peak

Last reviewed August 2026. Windows are editorial ranges for a normal year, not a published schedule, and they are export weeks out of South Africa rather than arrival weeks in your market.

South Africa is the Southern Hemisphere origin closest to Europe — a direct Atlantic run with no canal transit — and it is also the one with the longest continuous export calendar. Citrus carries the middle of the year, table grapes and stone fruit carry the Southern Hemisphere summer, and pome fruit bridges the two. There is no month when the country is not shipping something in volume.

The complication is not the calendar, it is the ports. Cape Town is wind-affected: high-wind days halt crane work and vessels queue, which is seasonal and recurring rather than exceptional. Citrus peak coincides with Durban’s busiest weeks, and the equipment shortages that go with it are as predictable as the harvest. Plan the season around the port as much as around the fruit.

Orange

May–September peak · April, October shoulder Varieties: Navel, Valencia

Roughly April to October, which is the single largest thing South Africa ships. Navels open the season and Valencias carry the second half of it.

South Africa orange: window and arrival weeks · Orange across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam, South Africa → United Kingdom

Mandarin

April–August peak · March, September shoulder Varieties: Nadorcott, Tango, Clemenules, Orri

Roughly March to September. South African easy-peelers have grown faster than any other part of its citrus basket, driven by European retail moving away from loose oranges.

South Africa mandarin: window and arrival weeks · Mandarin across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam, South Africa → United Kingdom

Grapefruit

April–July peak · March, August shoulder Varieties: Star Ruby, Marsh

Roughly March to August, out of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. South Africa is the Southern Hemisphere origin serving a shrinking but stubborn Northern Hemisphere grapefruit demand.

South Africa grapefruit: window and arrival weeks · Grapefruit across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam

Lemon

April–August peak · March, September shoulder Varieties: Eureka

Roughly March to September, on the same window as Argentina and into the same Northern Hemisphere gap.

South Africa lemon: window and arrival weeks · Lemon across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam

Table grapes

December–March peak · April, November shoulder Varieties: Crimson, Prime, Thompson

Roughly December to April, out of the Hex River valley and the Orange River region, shipping mainly through Cape Town.

South Africa table grapes: window and arrival weeks · Table grapes across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam, South Africa → United Kingdom

Apple

March–June peak · February, July shoulder Varieties: Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious

Roughly February to July out of the Western Cape, shipping from storage well past the harvest.

South Africa apple: window and arrival weeks · Apple across every origin · South Africa → United Kingdom

Pear

January–May peak · June shoulder Varieties: Packham's Triumph, Forelle, Abate Fetel

Roughly January to June, with the apple programme. Forelle is the variety South Africa is known for and it is largely a European trade.

South Africa pear: window and arrival weeks · Pear across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam

Avocado

April–July peak · March, August–September shoulder Varieties: Hass, Fuerte

Roughly March to September out of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, sitting almost exactly on top of the Peruvian window.

South Africa avocado: window and arrival weeks · Avocado across every origin · South Africa → Rotterdam

Plum

November–February peak · March, October shoulder Varieties: Angeleno, Fortune, Songold

Roughly October to March out of the Western Cape, ahead of and overlapping the Chilean window.

South Africa plum: window and arrival weeks · Plum across every origin · South Africa → United Kingdom

FAQ

What fresh produce does South Africa export?: South Africa ships oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons, table grapes, apples, pears, avocados, and plums. The calendar on this page gives each one's export window month by month.
When does South Africa export oranges?: South Africa ships oranges May–September, with April and October at the shoulders. These are export weeks out of the origin, not arrival weeks in your market.
Which ports does South Africa export fresh produce from?: Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha. The load port is worth knowing because the lane's transit — and so the shelf life left on arrival — is measured from it.

Importing produce out of South Africa? Trackberry tracks those containers and reads the paperwork that arrives with them, in one place. See how it works for produce importers, or book a 20-minute chat.