Citrus growers in Botswana have become members of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), which now represents more than 1 564 citrus growers in South Africa, eSwatini and Zimbabwe, as well as Botswana.

The CGA aims to help maximise the long-term profitability and sustainability of Botswana growers by providing growers with increased access to global markets, assisting them to optimise the cost-effective production of high-quality fruit from their region and making industry resources available to them including the latest research from globally recognised Citrus Research International.

There are currently 164 citrus growers in Botswana, with 94% of these being small-scale farmers that produce citrus on under 5 ha. The remaining 6% fall into the category of medium-sized to large-scale farmers.

The sector currently supports just more than 1 000 jobs, with 75% of employees being female, the CGA says.

“Supporting small-scale growers is one of the main focus areas of the CGA and its Grower Development Company. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise with Botswana growers.

“Southern African growers have become renowned for their excellent quality fruit, which is the result of a major investment in research and innovation over the past few years and we look forward to continue expanding the CGA footprint to other African countries,” says CGA CEO Justin Chadwick.

“Joining the CGA is a great achievement when it comes to unlocking opportunities for citrus growers in our country. Our farmers and labour force face several challenges when it comes to accessing critical industry resources to improve and grow the sector,” says Botswana citrus farm Selebi Phikwe Citrus operational manager Johan van Vuuren.

“By becoming members of the CGA, Botswana citrus growers will now be able to unlock increased access to these critical resources and support structures to ensure the continued growth of the industry, farms and businesses. We look forward to using the CGA as a platform to share and absorb knowledge from others who have more experience in this line of work,” he states.

The CGA remains committed to representing and furthering the interests of citrus growers across Southern Africa to ensure they remain key economic contributors in their respective countries, Chadwick adds.