When does South Africa export grapefruits?

South Africa ships grapefruits April–July, with March and August at the shoulders. These are export weeks out of the origin, not arrival weeks in your market.

When do South Africa grapefruits arrive in Europe?

On the South Africa → Rotterdam run, quoted at 16–22 days port to port, that window lands around week 16–34 — April–August. Add the road leg at either end.

Grapefruit export season in South Africa (2026)

South Africa grapefruit export season

Grapefruit season in South Africa: April–July, with March and August at the shoulders. Lands April–August via South Africa → Rotterdam.

Ships

April–July

March, August at the shoulders

Lands

week 16–34

on the South Africa → Rotterdam run, 16–22 days

South Africa grapefruits: the export window by month, and the weeks each lane lands it.
Stage	Month J F M A M J J A S O N D
Ships out of South Africa	Ships april–july peak · march, august shoulder
South Africa → Rotterdam 16–22 days · week 16–34	Lands week 16–34 on the South Africa → Rotterdam run

Peak Shoulder Landing Port to port, across services rather than one schedule. Add the road leg at either end.

Varieties Star Ruby, Marsh Load ports Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha

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.

Grapefruit is the most chilling-tolerant citrus on this page and travels comfortably, which is why the trade survived as the growing regions contracted. It is also subject to cold sterilisation requirements into the EU — a mandated in-transit temperature regime, not a recommendation, and a container that breaches it is rejected at arrival.

Last reviewed August 2026. Editorial ranges for a normal year, not a published schedule. Weather moves them, sometimes by weeks.

Importing grapefruits 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.

South Africa grapefruit export season

Also out of South Africa

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