The Riverland in South Australia (SA) was Australias first irrigated settlement area established by the Chaffey Brothers in 1887. Situated along the Murray River in the States North East its perfect growing climate has helped to transform the region from a semi arid area into an oasis recognized as a world-class producer of Australian citrus.

The combination of warm summers, cool winters, excellent soil and water quality results in the production of superb citrus renowned for its intense colour and excellent eating attributes.

Since its inception the South Australia citrus industry has grown into the second biggest horticultural crop produced in SA contributing $A250 million to the States gross food revenue and providing $A58 worth of fresh citrus exports.

 

South Australia produces 28% of Australia’s citrus crop of 162,000 tonnes. The majority of the crop includes Navel oranges 48%, Valencia oranges 36% and Mandarins 9%. Other varieties produced include lemons, grapefruit and tangelos.

Total citrus plantings in SA are 7,315 hectares or approximately 3 million trees. To ensure consumer preferences are met, continual replanting occurs.

In recent years there has been a heavy emphasis on planting a broad range of early, mid and late Navels specifically for the export market to provide extended supplies of fresh quality product.

 

To assist with industry development, the South Australian Citrus Industry Development Board (SACIDB) was established to represent the entire citrus supply chain using State government legislation and funds provided by citrus industry stakeholders.

The SACIDB registers all citrus industry stakeholders and requires citrus packers to maintain minimum third party audited Codex HACCP food safety system providing a guarantee to consumers about the safety and integrity of South Australia citrus.

South Australia citrus industry stakeholders include 450 growers, 26 packers, 6 processors and 18 wholesalers.

Citrus packers consist of 3 extra large (e.g. handle over 15,000 tonnes per annum), 2 large (5,000 – 15,000 per annum), 3 medium (1,000 – 5,000) and 18 small (<1,000).

 

Semi arid climatic conditions in the Riverland ensure few pests are present and minimal treatments are required, resulting in the producing of citrus using sustainable, clean and green methods.

The Riverland is free from fruit flies, which allows citrus to be produced and supplied to customers around the world without the need to apply disinfestations treatments.

This means that SA citrus is guaranteed to arrive fresh and in top condition.

 

Using world recognised best practice production techniques and expert packing systems, the SA citrus industry provides product to a range of markets including fresh export, fresh domestic and juice. The SA citrus industry is highly export focused with 30% of fresh citrus proudly exported to over 25 countries. In total 17% of SA fresh citrus is shipped to Asian markets including Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. Other major export markets include New Zealand and USA.  Navels represent the single biggest fresh citrus variety exported, with 48% of the Navel crop shipped across the world compared to 22% for the Valencia crop.  While the SA citrus industry is highly focused on fresh citrus exports, juice production is also important with 63% of the Valencia crop converted to juice products for local and international consumption.

 

The SA citrus industry strives to implement strategies which underpin the integrity of the States citrus production, processing and marketing. With changes in climate, resources and consumer preferences the SA citrus industry continues to work hard to apply latest technologies and best management practices to ensure that the quality and consistency of SA product is maximized for the benefit of consumers.