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. John Bhasera, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development: “Zimbabwe is finalizing preparations to export citrus fruits to China by clarifying queries arising from the virtual inspections done by China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) in August.”
He said for the time being, Zimbabwe intends to sell oranges, lemons and grapefruits to China. 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.
The Zimbabwean government is currently working on scaling up horticulture production to meet the growing demand for citrus fruits worldwide. Early this month, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube launched a 30 million U.S. dollars horticulture export revolving fund to help farmers boost production.
– freshplaza.com
