The South African citrus industry is studying a draft protocol from the Thai authorities that will grant them access to Thailand for the first time.
Citrus Growers’ Association spokesperson Justin Chadwick said the draft protocol for the importation of citrus from South Africa into Thailand has been forwarded to the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).
“There are a few minor issues that we have to discuss, but we are confident that the protocol will soon be accepted,” Mr Chadwick told Fruitnet.com. “This follows many years of waiting and lots of work by industry and DAFF and we are grateful to all those who have made a contribution to make this breakthrough.'
The draft protocol will now be assessed by DAFF and industry officials before being finalised. “All exporters who are interested in making use of this new market opportunity are asked to contact me,” said Mr Chadwick.
The protocol requires the registration of production units and packhouses, as well as a visit from Thai officials before the start of the season, according to Mr Chadwick, who urged shippers to act promptly. “If we want to make use of this opportunity we will need to get going on putting the necessary procedures in place and complete the administrative arrangements,” he said.
Meanwhile, the South African pomefruit and table grape industries will soon meet with South African authorities to discuss progress in restoring access for their products into Thailand.
Both sectors lost their access to the Thai market three years ago in what has been described a blunder in the communication between the two countries. Pomefruit industry spokesperson Anton Rabe confirmed that the industry is in dispute with the Thai authorities and must meet with DAFF to figure out a way forward.
In other South African citrus news, the industry has decided to continue with its promotional campaign in Japan and the UK during 2011.
“With 2010 being an lower production year for grapefruit, the impact of the first year’s campaign was not clear,” said Mr Chadwick.
Market feedback and an assessment in the UK indicate that the campaign was well received, that it created a positive response to South African fruit from importers and participating retailers and that it did have a positive effect on sales in targeted supermarkets, he said.
“The Grapefruit Focus Group (GFG) discussed the possibility of including other markets for 2011 and Russia was identified as a growing market for South African grapefruit in this respect,” noted Mr Chadwick.
GFG decided to conduct research on market development in Russia, and to continue with campaigns in Japan and the UK, with 80 per cent of the promotional budget being allocated to Japan and 20 per cent to the UK.
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