The deal was signed in Pretoria on Friday by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and China\u2019s Ambassador to SA, Wu Peng.<\/p>\n
The revised protocol is expected to cut costs and improve fruit quality by reducing energy\u2011intensive cold chain requirements during shipping. Ambassador Wu said the changes will benefit both exporters and Chinese consumers by lowering logistics expenses and reducing the risk of cold damage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe standards signed today have two major benefits for SA and Chinese consumers,\u201d Wu told Channel Africa. \u201cFirst, a significant reduction in import and export costs by lowering cold chain energy consumption and sea shipping costs. Second, reduce the risk of cold damage, improve product quality and extend shelf life.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wu added that as a consumer, he has previously purchased SA citrus in China, but said stricter cold shipment requirements have affected freshness. \u201cThat is why we signed a new protocol,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In a further boost, China announced that from May 1, almost all SA exports will enjoy 0% tariff access to the Chinese market. Wu described the move as a unilateral measure aimed at supporting balanced, win\u2011win trade.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost 100% of tariff lines from SA export to China will enjoy 0 tariff,\u201d he said. \u201cWe care about trade balance and achieving win\u2011win cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Steenhuisen welcomed both developments, saying updated science should be matched by updated protocols, and that lower trade barriers will help SA producers expand in a major counter\u2011seasonal market.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the more restrictions and onerous provisions that we can remove, the easier it is for our local producers to export into the Chinese market,\u201d he said, adding that 0% tariffs could be a \u201cgame changer\u201d for agriculture.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Citrus Growers\u2019 Association Vice Chairperson Hannes de Waal said the agreement strengthens bilateral trade and could help rebuild market share. \u201cAt some stage, 10% of our citrus went to that market. It\u2019s now down to 6%,\u201d he said. \u201cWe look forward to getting back to 10% and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Separately, Ambassador Wu welcomed recent ceasefire efforts in the Middle East and called for sustained diplomacy to support lasting peace.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":31652,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,44],"class_list":["post-31651","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"South Africa\u2019s (SA) citrus industry is poised for stronger growth after SA and China signed a supplementary phytosanitary agreement that eases cold treatment requirements for citrus exports. ","published_date":"","news_description":"South Africa\u2019s (SA) citrus industry is poised for stronger growth after SA and China signed a supplementary phytosanitary agreement that eases cold treatment requirements for citrus exports. ","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31653,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31651\/revisions\/31653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=31651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}