When does South Africa export lemons?

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

When do South Africa lemons arrive in Europe?

On the South Africa → Rotterdam run, quoted at 16–22 days port to port, that window lands around week 16–38 — April–September. Add the road leg at either end.

South Africa lemon export season (2026)

South Africa lemon export season

South Africa ships lemons April–August, with March and September at the shoulders. Lands April–September on the South Africa → Rotterdam run.

Ships

April–August

March, September at the shoulders

Lands

week 16–38

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

South Africa lemons: 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–august peak · march, september shoulder
South Africa → Rotterdam 16–22 days · week 16–38	Lands week 16–38 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 Eureka Load ports Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha

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

South African lemon volume has grown substantially and much of it now goes east rather than to Europe. For a European buyer that makes availability in any given year a question about Middle Eastern and Asian demand as much as about the harvest.

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

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South Africa lemon export season

Also out of South Africa

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