Cabinet says the measures imposed by the European Union (EU) on the export of South Africa’s citrus products to the EU result in significant costs for the South Africa citrus industry, which is estimated at R2 billion (US$110 million) per year.
The first regular Cabinet meeting of the seventh administration, held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday, raised the concern following a briefing about a formal dispute initiated by South Africa with the World Trade Organisation against the EU’s stringent and unnecessary plant health requirements regarding Citrus Black Spot (CBS) and False Codling Moth (FMC) regulations on the export of South Africa’s citrus products to the EU.
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Briefing the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said South Africa is the world’s second largest exporter of citrus and 33% of the country’s citrus exports are destined for the EU market.
While not a ban, Ntshavheni said the measures imposed by the EU result in significant costs for the SA citrus industry.
“South Africa’s industry provides direct employment for over 140 000 people in rural South Africa and thus supporting over 1.5 million people. The EU has decided to impose the stringent measures against South Africa whilst not requiring the same from countries with similar situations such as Israel,” Ntshavheni said. – SAnews.gov.za
