Zimbabwe citrus fruit exports to China to start so...

Zimbabwe citrus fruit exports to China to start soon

Zimbabwe will soon export oranges, lemons and grapefruits to China

Xinhua/Zim Now Writer

Zimbabwe is finalizing preparations to start fresh citrus exports to China, following virtual inspections done by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) last month, a senior government official said Thursday.

"Zimbabwe is finalizing preparations to export citrus fruits to China by clarifying queries arising from the virtual inspections done by GACC in August," Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Dr John Bhasera, told Xinhua yesterday (Thursday).

He said some of the queries related to the use of orchard numbers as opposed to production unit code to improve traceability, strengthening pest and disease management in the field and at pack houses to minimize infestation of harvested citrus, and clarifying the cold treatment of citrus destined for China.

Zimbabwe got its opening into the huge but tough Chinese markets earlier when GACC issued the country with a permit to export fresh citurs fruit to China.

Zimbabwean citrus farmers who meet the standards can now export orange, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and lime to China.

Dr Basera said for the time being, Zimbabwe intends to sell oranges, lemons and grapefruits to China.

China is a big fruit importer with and in 2021 the country imported 7.5 million tonnes of fruit, worth US$16 billion. But penetrating the market is not easy as there are strict quality standards.

The Horticulture Development Council says three citrus estates in Beitbridge, Mazowe and Chegutu are registered for this first season of export to China.

The council says moves to increasing capacity in order to maximise exports are underway with 160 hectares set for planting this spring and summer and a further 220 hectares on plan.

Zimbabwe has the advantage of good natural conditions that are beneficial for producing cheap, sweet and juicy citrus.

The country's marketing period is also different from the domestic citrus market in China, which can meet a certain demand in the Chinese market.

Zimbabwe's trade promotion body, ZimTrade, has since welcomed the move by China to allow imports of Zimbabwean citrus fruits, saying this will help Zimbabwe diversify its export markets.

The Zimbabwean government is currently working on scaling up horticulture production to meet the growing demand for citrus fruits worldwide.

Earlier this month, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube launched a 30 million U.S. dollars horticulture export revolving fund to help farmers boost production.