The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) is proud to announce that citrus growers in Botswana have become members of our organisation, joining over 1400 from South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. With the addition of Botswana, the CGA now represents just over 1564 citrus growers in Southern Africa.
The CGA hopes to help maximise the long-term profitability and sustainability of Botswana growers, by providing them 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 (CRI).
There are currently 164 citrus growers in Botswana, with 94% of these being small-scale farmers that produce citrus in under 5 hectares and the remaining 6% falling into the category of medium to large-scale farmers. The sector currently supports just over 1000 jobs, with 75% of employees being female.
CEO of the CGA Justin Chadwick shares that “We are thrilled to welcome Botswana citrus growers to our association. 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”.
Johan van Vuuren, the Operational Manager at Selebi Phikwe Citrus, one of the biggest citrus farms in Botswana states that “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.
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.”
The CGA remains committed to representing and furthering the interests of citrus growers across Southern Africa so they remain key economic contributors in their respective countries.
