EU citrus dispute costs SA’s citrus industry USD 110M annually

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s citrus industry is facing substantial financial losses due to new European Union (EU) regulations on citrus imports, with estimated costs reaching R2 billion (USD 110 million) per year.

This was highlighted in the recent Cabinet meeting held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

During the meeting, Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni addressed the formal dispute South Africa has initiated with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the EU’s stringent plant health requirements.

These regulations target Citrus Black Spot and False Codling Moth, posing significant challenges for South African citrus exports.

“South Africa is the world’s second-largest exporter of citrus, with 33% of our exports going to the EU,” said Ntshavheni. “While these measures are not a ban, they still impose heavy costs on our industry.”

Ntshavheni pointed out that the citrus sector supports over 140,000 jobs directly in rural South Africa and impacts more than 1.5 million people indirectly.

She criticized the EU for imposing these measures on South African produce while not requiring the same standards from countries with similar pest issues, such as Israel.

Meanwhile, the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) has announced its Annual General Meeting.

The CGA has scheduled its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for August 27, 2024, at 17:00. The meeting will be held virtually. Members interested in attending should request a link from Tanya at tanya@cga.co.za by August 23, 2024.

The AGM will cover several key items including the Chairman’s report for the year, the confirmation of the Board of Directors, and the adoption of the financial statements.

The Annual Financial Statements for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, will be available on the CGA website’s password-protected section from August 5, 2024. For a hard copy, contact the CGA office at 031 765 2514 or email info@cga.co.za.

In related news, Citrus Research International (CRI) has released the list of certified nurseries for July 2024. This list includes nurseries across various regions in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Notable mentions include Apapanzi Kwekery and Attwell Citrus Nursery in the Eastern Cape, and Du Roi Nursery and Hishtil South Africa in Limpopo.

Additionally, CGA’s Orange Focus Group has updated its navel orange estimate, increasing it by 500,000 cartons. Conversely, the Valencia orange estimate was reduced by 1.6 million cartons. The Mandarin Focus Group also made a downward adjustment of 700,000 cartons.