The Citrus Growers' Association of South Africa (CGA) has written to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza. The brief amounted to a request that Ms Didiza will make unfair and discriminatory pest regulations by the European Union a priority at the 5th African Union - European Union Agriculture Ministerial Conference taking place in Rome on the 30th of June.
The EU's regulations on False Coddling Moth (FCM) and Citrus Black Spot (CBS) are posing a threat to the future of the local citrus industry. AU and EU Ministers of Agriculture will be attending the Conference along with representatives of various international organisations, which makes it a crucial opportunity for the South African government to push for a resolution on these critical matters in order to safeguard the 140,000 jobs our sector sustains.
The CGA is of the view that the new regulations have no basis in science and prescribes cold treatment that simply isn't warranted. Our industry has presented clear evidence that our stringent FCM risk management system is highly effective ensuring that 99.9% of oranges entering the EU are pest free (with only 2 FCM interceptions detected in the over 400 000 tons of oranges shipped to the region in 2022).
Source: farmingportal.co.za