According to the latest directory of fruit varieties able to obtain access to the Chinese market (and the related exporting countries/regions - version 23-August-2017), South Africa remains the only African country on the list. Recently, however, the Herald, a local media outlet in Zimbabwe, reported that officials from AQSIQ have started an investigation in this country and, if things go well, their citrus fruits may be able to enter the market in China, making the country only the second in Africa to gain such access.
According to the report, the AQSIQ officials arrived in Zimbabwe last week for the field trip to investigate whether the local citrus fruit industry can meet the quarantine and inspection requirements of the organization. The report says the Chinese officials visited many plantations for citrus fruits and expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of the citrus fruit in the country. This team of officials also had a meeting on 18, August with Dr. Joseph Made, minister of the National Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development in Harare.
A leading official told the press: "This is part of the bio security measures we need to take whenever we are planning to import crops or animals from another country. We are concerned about the insects or diseases that cannot be found in China. We are very interested in the branding and packaging of citrus fruits in Zimbabwe. The market for citrus fruits in China is very big, and we have been importing from many countries so. If Zimbabwe can meet all our requirements in quarantine and inspection, then it can also start to export citrus fruits to China."
The official pointed out that, since the citrus fruits here are counter-seasonal, Zimbabwe can take advantage of that and export the fruit to China when the local supply is low. Regarding the species of insects that AQSIQ is concerned about, the official told the press: "We are focusing on certain harmful species such as the False Codling Moth."
Source: www.agri.com