R50m black spot for citrus farms

Citrus growers in South Africa face losses of about R50-million after voluntarily suspending all exports of organic lemons to the European Union due to the risk of citrus black spot. However, despite being highly priced, organic lemons make up a small portion of citrus production. Though acknowledging the losses, farmers said they were choosing to view the suspension of exports to the EU as a way to help safeguard a key market.