South African oranges will still arrive in Spain, higher prices

Last week, the South African citrus sector decided not to ship to Spanish ports after a disagreement regarding the phytosanitary inspection process, given the high number of CBS interceptions in Spain compared to other European ports, such as Rotterdam.

However, in a market like the EU, in which goods circulate freely, South African citrus will continue entering Spain anyway, although at higher prices.

"In summer there are few alternative suppliers for high quality late table oranges," explains Miguel Ángel Jiménez, of Frutas Niqui Madrimport. "Therefore, Spain will continue to import South African oranges, but due to these logistical complications, costs will increase, because the fruit will have to be re-exported from the Netherlands, which also entails greater business opportunities for Dutch companies," he added.

For the Spanish orange producer and marketer Naranjas Torres, South African oranges help maintain continuity of supply during the off-season period.

"We mainly import Navelate and Cambria from South Africa, since they stand out for their quality compared to other origins, as far as table oranges are concerned. However, orange consumption is significantly reduced in summer, with orange imports representing only 10% of our workload," explains Fernando González, marketing director of Naranjas Torres.

"Our work focuses on our own oranges and those of our associated producers; thus, if it is shown that South African citrus poses a risk to our plantations, we would certainly consider not taking the chance of jeopardising our business for just that 10%. However, we believe that the alternative is to find a solution so that we can continue importing normally. To that end, we could implement the phytosanitary control system in force in the United States, for example, as experience shows that it works," points out Fernando Gómez.