SA citrus growers refuse to play 'victim'

South African citrus
growers are choosing not
to focus on whether they
are being treated fairly by
the European Union when
it comes to the contentious
fungal
disease,
citrus
black spot
(CBS), but
are rather
focusing
on being
compliant
and keeping
incidents to
a minimum.
Recent
media
reports have
yet again
highlighted
the stringency of the
applicable CBS rules for
South Africa, compared
with many other countries
– like Brazil – where the
EU rules seem far more
lenient.
While it may be true
that the country is not
treated similarly to other
export markets, and that
the levels of compliance
prescribed for South Africa
are considered “unfair
and punitive” by many in
the industry, most citrus
producers have shied away
from further arguing the
point.
Instead, they were
investing time and effort
in trying to curb CBS
incidents, Deon Joubert,
European Union special
envoy for the Citrus
Growers’ Association of
Southern Africa, told
FTW.
According to Joubert,
efforts to combat CBS are
ongoing, with farmers
paying for additional
spraying, inspections,
sanitation, sampling and
testing as
the country
continues
to pull out
all the stops
to comply
with the
stringent
EU
regulations.
“South
Africa is
doing very
well from
a global
perspective
if one looks
at the occurrence of CBS
in other countries and the
number of interceptions
taking place compared
with those involving South
Africa,” he said.
As the citrus season got
under way this year, media
outlets in Europe were
quick off the mark to report
on the smaller volumes and
higher prices hitting the
market from South Africa,
along with the ongoing
pressure on South Africa to
control CBS.
But, said Joubert,
several years ago South
Africa took the decision
to no longer argue with
the EU about the impact
or severity of CBS that
resulted in leaf spotting
and blemishes on fruit.
“It is common
knowledge that we have
never agreed with the EU
science around CBS,” he
said. “Our opinion has not
changed in this regard, but
we have, however, invested
huge sums of money in our
efforts to control CBS and
to improve the quality of
our fruit. In this regard we
have made major inroads.”
It is also commonly
accepted in many European
markets that, out of all
export countries, South
Africa has CBS under most
effective control.
“What we see is that the
South African growers we
work with are conscious
of the importance of
CBS. They have been
investing in measures to
get CBS under control for
years and it is working,”
Randolf Aaldijk of the
Netherlands-based
importer, Origin Fruit
Direct, was recently
quoted as saying.
Joubert said the country
had also taken the option
to willingly withdraw
fruit from some markets
rather than risk its being
intercepted and large
volumes of fruit being
returned to South Africa at
additional cost. Exports of
organic lemons to the EU
in 2016 were withdrawn in
this way.
“We have put control
measures in place and
efforts are ongoing,” he
said. “It’s not a fight we
are going to have any
more. The focus for us at
present is to minimise the
risk and get our fruit to
market with as few CBS
interceptions as possible.”
INSERT
The focus for us at
present is to minimise
the risk and get our
fruit to market with as
few CBS interceptions
as possible.
– Deon Joubert