This week, the 20th Agoa Forum is being held in Johannesburg. Government representatives from the US and eligible African countries are attending, alongside regional organisations, private sector role-players, civil society groups and labour leaders.
Thanks to the African Growth and Opportunity Act, many South African export products, including citrus, is exempt from import duties, giving them a much-needed edge in the massive and competitive American market. This season saw the 25th year of the Summer Citrus from South Africa program, a collaboration of nearly 300 South African growers who work together in exporting fruit to the US. In 1999, only 40,000 15-kg cartons of citrus were shipped by the program; last year, they shipped 6.7 million.
Only growers in the Western and Northern Cape export citrus to the US. This is technically due to phytosanitary restrictions. Wider access to the US is particularly important for South African mandarin growers, as their plantings in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape are nearing export-quality fruit. American importers have indicated a preference for mandarins from South Africa.
Source: iol.co.za
