this New phytosanitary regulations for citrus imports introduced by European Union (EU) to south africa -Brussels in demand from this summer cold therapy to citrus from the southern country in question, which makes their shipments more expensive – and the inefficiency of the orange trade’s logistics chains explains why citrus exports to the EU have fallen again for the second year in a row. This is confirmed by the European Union Citrus Observatory, whose latest statistics reveal that South Africa sold 356,345 tonnes during the 2021/2022 campaign (by September). 3.9% decrease compared to the previous season and 26.1% compared to 2019/2020.
In the absence of the most recent data for October, when the citrus campaign actually ended in the southern hemisphere, a decrease in imports from South Africa to the old continent occurs when the first phase of the orange season begins in Spain. Also, according to EU statistics, sharp drop in exports Morocco to EUIt has been halved since the 2018/2019 campaign. In addition, Egypt decreased its exports by 32% compared to last year and 50% compared to two seasons ago.
For the Spanish citrus industry the so-called ‘cold cure’ effective treatment adjusted for current risk only And this is what South Africa complies with and applies in its exports to the USA, China, South Korea or Japan to avoid possible outbreaks of ‘Thaumatotibia leucotreta’ or false moth. The Community regulation came into force on 24 June (the date when containers must be cold processed) and has been in effect since 14 July, the day of entry into the EU without cold working. Whatever the case, the orange interprofessional Intercitrus, which brings together different sectors, concern about lack of transparency in accordance with the mandatory application of cold in oranges.
Crop development in South Africa
According to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture USDA, citrus surface South Africa has grown steadily Over the last decade, it has been motivated by investments in relatively high-profit export markets. As a result, South Africa broke a record in citrus exports worldwide with 2.7 million tons in the 2021/22 campaign, although it reduced its sales to the EU. But the expansion of citrus plantations is expected to decrease in the 2022/23 campaign. Citrus plantations in South Africa cover more than 100,000 hectares (ha) – the Valencian Community has 182,000 hectares, which is 60% of Spain’s total area – of which about 47% are orange groves. Orange planted area is growing in South Africa about 14% in the last 7 years. Tangerines and an aggressive transition from the tangerine group to citrus have limited the growth in orange planting.
Source: Informacion
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