The Citrus Growers Association of South Africa has requested Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel to counteract the ‘restrictive and expensive measures’ imposed by the EU regarding orange exports. The EU insists that South Africa must cool and store its oranges for 20 days before exports. This requirement is because of the False Codling Moth. Stringent measures are employed by South African growers to prevent any of the insect larvae to spread. These measures are deemed highly effective by international standards.
However, the additional measure of cooling and storing, which is not ideal for oranges, will add over R1 billion into costs to be able to export to the EU. The Citrus Growers Association of South Africa says these measures are unfair and are not in line with the guidelines of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Source: sabcnews.com