Exports of South African oranges to the European Union might fall by 20% this year as an outcome of what Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa (CGA), deems "unfair" rules, imposed by the EU.
According to Chadwick, the strict pest management regulations that were put in place in 2022 may prevent 80,000 tons of oranges from making it to European shelves.
As a result, this may lead to a potential losses of $26 million (£20 million) for South Africa's orange industry.
In order to prevent the false codling moth and citrus black spot, these regulations force exporters to apply particular cooling treatments to their citrus products.
The CGA plans to express its worries about these laws at the upcoming African Union-European Union Agriculture Ministerial Conference in Italy's Rome on June 30.