Boom or bust for expanding orchards?

If there is one central message to consider on the back of the boom in the avocado, macadamia and citrus industries (see tables 1, 2 and 3), it’s that health foods are moving up on global shopping lists. Gross industry returns for all three industries have grown at a faster rate than production. Moreover, fuelled by the trend of healthy eating, ‘superfood’ labels and, where nuts are concerned, a move to replace animal protein with plant-based alternatives, consumption is likely only to increase.

As demand outstrips supply for all three crops, the bigger question remains: can South African farmers and related support industries keep up?

SO FAR, SO GOOD

Growers have certainly played their part, with avocado orchards currently totalling 14 700ha, citrus 96 000ha and macadamias nearly 55 000ha ().