Mutually beneficial alliance

Willem Bestbier, Vice Chair of Fruit South Africa, a Pretoria-based non-profit organization comprising five major fruit growers and exporters’ associations, was in Beijing in October to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wang Junbing, Secretary General of China Entry-exit Inspection Authority and Quarantine Association (CIQA), to address the challenges in expanding and broadening access to the Chinese market.

Currently, South Africa exports only apples, citrus fruits and table grapes to the Chinese mainland. However, the process is excruciatingly slow, which affects the quality of the fruit and loses substantial revenue of fruit exporters in South Africa. With the MOU, the two associations will have partners on the ground and stay informed about quarantine issues and policy changes. They will also share information on pest risk analysis, inspection regulations, technology exchanges and market developments.

Fruit South Africa and CIQA will also provide their respective governments with the technical information and expertise needed to speed up the negotiations for the export of new items from South Africa. Pears will be the next export item from South Africa, followed by avocados.

Bestbier, who is also CEO of the South African Table Grape Industry, says progress has been made since the MOU was signed. “A much friendlier shipment protocol for South African table grapes has been