South Africa welcomes growth on U.S. citrus market

As the South African citrus industry approaches its 15th season on the U.S. market, exporters could be in store for a number of trade and protocol developments.oranges_68643514

Industry representatives,  including the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) met with U.S. importers and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the Western Cape Citrus Producers’ Forum, where attendees praised the growing opportunities for citrus traders.

U.S. consul general to Cape Town, Erica Barks-Ruggles, described the considerable growth experienced by citrus since the signing of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2000.

“Just to give you one example of the growing benefits AGOA confers on South Africa, consider fresh oranges. Exports of oranges from South Africa to the United States hit a new record in 2013, with nearly US$57 million in sales or over 39,000 metric tons in exports,” Barks-Ruggles told forum attendees.

“This is a 40% jump in value and a 25% increase in quantity compared to 2009, and two orders of magnitude (nearly 800 percent) increase since the program started in 1999.”

Barks-Ruggles also highlighted job growth in South Africa’s citrus industry, citing a successful partnership with the U.S.