The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has increased the number of areas in South Africa it recognizes as pest-free areas for citrus black spot disease and which can therefore export their products to the United States.
The announcement opens the door for the grapefruit category to be included in the South African citrus basket which is marketed in the United States. The previously recognized black sport free areas in South Africa are located mainly in the Western and Southern Cape regions were grape fruit trees do not do very well.
The USDA-APHIS announcement says 16 additional magisterial districts in three provinces of South Africa have been included on the pest-free areas list. The ruling means that citrus produced in the Northern Cape, Orange Free State and North West Province is now permitted access to the US, provided import protocols are followed correctly.
In welcoming the announcement Gerrit van der Merwe, Chairman of the Western Cape Citrus Producers’ Forum, says there is still a lot of work to be done before the growers in these regions can take full advantage of the new opportunities. “There will now first be an inspection of orchards by the South African Department of Agriculture to ensure that the protocols will be observed. Grapefruit has also never been shipped under the present 24 day steri-programme and we simply do not know whether the fruit will be tough enough to withstand that.”
While the USA will initially be very much a niche market for South African grape fruit, he is optimistic that up to 100 000 cartons could be shipped this year.
The production of citrus fruit in the Orange River has increased rapidly in recent years and it is expected that most of the prospective new grape fruit shipments will come from there.
Mr Van der Merwe says because of the higher cost of shipments to the United States, as well as the fact that the new regions are considerably further from the ports in South Africa, growers will have to consider their options very carefully. “The cost structure for this fruit will be much higher and we will have to see whether prices in the market can sustain this. It is all part of the market development plan for the United States and we will therefore see how best we can take advantage of the new opportunities open to us.”
According to US importer Fisher Capespan, the regions are set to become good supply sources for Star Ruby grapefruit, a fruit which grows “extremely well” in the dry desert-like conditions in those areas.
“The quality of Star Ruby produced in the North Western parts of South Africa is well known, with the fruit showing excellent internal red colour, high brix values and a thin skin,” the company said in a statement.
“This fruit regularly falls into the size 30-36 count range and it is not difficult to see why Fisher Capespan is excited at the prospect of adding South African grapefruit to its Southern Hemisphere citrus offer.”
Volume for the US market is likely to be moderate this year, according to company president Marc Soloman, since many grapefruit orchards in the area are not yet in full production and growers in these regions currently lack experience with the required protocols.
“As the orchards mature and experience is gained in producing fruit for the US, volume could rise to over 500,000 (15kg) cartons in the next five years,” Mr Soloman added.
South African grapefruit is expected to be available in the US from the end of May through to the end of July, at a time when domestic production is usually in short supply.
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