Citriona Valley Farms — Operations Plan
Lemon orchards follow a well-documented biological yield curve. Young trees begin bearing fruit from Year 2–3, with yields increasing progressively as root systems develop and canopy coverage expands. Full commercial bearing is achieved from Year 5, with yields stabilising at 40–60 tons…
Section 6 · Business Plan
Operations Plan
Lemon orchards follow a well-documented biological yield curve. Young trees begin bearing fruit from Year 2–3, with yields increasing progressively as root systems develop and canopy coverage expands. Full commercial bearing is achieved from Year 5, with yields stabilising at 40–60 tons…
Of export-grade lemons per annum at full commercial production, grown across the Sundays River Valley orchards.
6.1 Farm Development Overview
| Parameter | Detail |
| Total Land Area | 120 hectares (296 acres) |
| Planted Lemon Orchards | 90 hectares (Phase 1: 55ha; Phase 2: 35ha) |
| Infrastructure & Roads | 15 hectares |
| Buffer Zones & Windbreaks | 10 hectares |
| Reserve / Expansion Area | 5 hectares |
| Tree Density | 625 trees/hectare (4m x 4m spacing) |
| Total Trees at Full Planting | 56,250 trees |
| Primary Variety | Eureka (70%) | Lisbon (30%) |
| Rootstock | Rough Lemon / Troyer Citrange |
| Yield at Maturity | 40–60 tons/hectare (target: 50 tons/ha avg) |
| Annual Output at Full Production | ~4,500 metric tons |
6.2 Production Yield Trajectory
Lemon orchards follow a well-documented biological yield curve. Young trees begin bearing fruit from Year 2–3, with yields increasing progressively as root systems develop and canopy coverage expands. Full commercial bearing is achieved from Year 5, with yields stabilising at 40–60 tons per hectare depending on varietal mix, irrigation management, and climatic conditions.
Figure 3: Production Yield Ramp-Up & Export Quality Trajectory
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | |
| Ha Planted | 55 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Yield (t/ha) | 0 | 5 | 20 | 40 | 50 | 53 |
| Total Tons | 0 | 450 | 1,800 | 3,600 | 4,500 | 4,800 |
| Export % | 0% | 30% | 55% | 72% | 80% | 82% |
| Export Tons | 0 | 135 | 990 | 2,592 | 3,600 | 3,936 |
6.3 Infrastructure Requirements
The farm infrastructure programme encompasses the following major capital investments, phased over the first 18 months of the project timeline:
network will be installed across all 90 planted hectares, fed by a
combination of borehole water extraction and allocation from the Sundays
River Irrigation Board. The system incorporates automated fertigation
capability, soil moisture sensors, and weather-linked scheduling to
optimise water use efficiency. Total irrigation CAPEX is estimated at
ZAR 6.0 million.
will be drilled and equipped with solar-powered submersible pumps,
feeding into two 500,000-litre storage reservoirs providing 72-hour
buffer capacity. Water rights applications through the Department of
Water and Sanitation are in progress.
tractors (60HP and 90HP), a sprayer unit, mowing equipment, trailers,
and general utility vehicles. All machinery is sourced through
established South African agricultural equipment dealers with local
service and parts support.
constructing proprietary packhouse facilities (estimated CAPEX of R25–35
million), the Company will enter into long-term packing and cold storage
service agreements with established operators in the Sundays River
Valley. This reduces initial capital requirements while maintaining
access to PPECB-accredited, export-certified processing facilities.
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