Citrus exporters set bold targets for growth into China

Production units await approval RAY SMUTS THE CITRUS industry is gearing itself up to play a more meaningful role in exports to the People’s Republic of China by submitting for approval a large number of applications from production units. Two Chinese plant health inspectors currently assessing the grape industry with a view to concluding another protocol will spend a few days looking at a select number of new citrus applicants before returning to China today (February 9). Following the signing of the first, rather restrictive, citrus protocol between the two countries in 2004 – a process repeated two years later – the Chinese approved 393 production units for exporting to their country. Now, says Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa, there has been further progress in that it has submitted an application for approval of a further 590 production units for export. South Africa initially applied for permission to export to China in 2001 and received approval three years later. “That,” says Chadwick, “is incredibly quick in that most people talk of a10-year period on average. “Not a lot of citrus is moving to China at the moment. If one looks at the figures, only around 70 FEU have found their way to the Chinese mainland since June 2006.” Chadwick says the association will get an indication of how its application has been received when the inspectors conclude their visit. The official nod will eventually come from Beijing, a process that could take some time.