SALGA Industry Census 2024
Total litchi plantings in South Africa amount to 1360 ha. SALGA Members in Mozambique account for a further 129 ha.
Provincial and regional distribution of litchi plantings
The hectares per province and production region are reported in Figures 1 and 2. Mpumalanga Province represents 66% of the SA industry (883 ha). Onderberg, Mpumalanga, is the largest production region in South Africa with 57% (781 ha) of total plantings. Limpopo Province contains 32% (418 ha) of SA plantings of which 22% (268 ha) are situated in Letaba. KwaZulu-Natal Province makes up 4% of the industry (59 ha).
Litchi cultivars
‘Mauritius’ is the most planted litchi cultivar in South Africa (1031 ha). ‘McLeans Red’ is the second most planted cultivar in South Africa (79 ha) (Figure 3). Nearly all ‘McLean’s Red’ litchis are situated in the Letaba region in Limpopo province
Litchi plantings 2023 vs 2024
In the 2024 census, total plantings in South Africa stood at 1360 ha which is 21 ha more than in 2023. Some orchards were removed in KwaZulu Natal for the land to be planted to other crops. Changes in area planted per province and per production region are shown in Figures 5 and 6 respectively. There were new plantings in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and plantings in Venda (Limpopo) and Bushbuck Ridge (Mpumalanga) were recorded for the first time in 2022.