Fruit exports into China and Taiwan will take time

Ray Smuts
CHINA AND Taiwan's admission as members of the World Trade Organisation should not be misconstrued as paving the way for immediate rich pickings by the west, warns Capespan export expert Christo Botha.
"I am very pleased at the news. It will make business a lot easier for us in South Africa if the WTO can open doors for us," says Botha, the giant fruit marketer's general manager for the Middle and Far East and North America.
"What will now happen is that China will ask us for a pest risk assessment to determine which pests we have and they don't before reverting with a list of instructions. The bottom line is it could take two years before fruit flows, no walk in the park."
It also follows, says Botha, that both countries would be intent on protecting their own agricultural produce so are unlikely to permit an avalanche of fruit without rigid controls in place.
Taiwan, which restricts South Africa by only allowing 1 200 tons of deciduous and 1 000 tons of citrus per annum, has in place strict phyto-sanitary procedures which dictate that fruit has to be sterilised in transit for 12 days at -0,5C.
"That quota should go, but again it will take time as the Taiwanese could put forward arguments to protect the livelihood of their own farmers."
Botha recalls that Japan, another stickler for fruit coming into the country, was approached ten years ago by Unifruco, forerunner to Capespan, for permission to import grapes, illustrating that progress is not an overnight phenomenon.
Japan will take 4,2 million cartons of citrus from South Africa this year, Capespan's share being around 1,6 million, but no deciduous at all.