Key Highlights :
Australian citrus growers have welcomed a move by China to update its list of approved Australian growers who can sell into the Chinese market. The move, which is the first time the lists have been updated since 2020 for stone fruit, mangoes and cherries, and the first time since 2021 for citrus, could be worth millions of dollars to those industries.
The updated list includes almost 500 more orchard blocks, and is part of an effort to increase trade between the two countries. According to Nathan Hancock, CEO of Citrus Australia, the Chinese market is a significant one for Australia, and the approval of more citrus producers could open up new opportunities for the industry.
“We’ve had lists waiting to be approved for a number of years and this is a positive sign that they have approved them,” said Mr. Hancock. “China has been a strong market for us prior to the pandemic and we’re looking forward to any opportunity to keep that going.”
The move follows the first meeting in more than two years between representatives from the Australian Department of Agriculture and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China.
For Australian citrus to be exported to China, growers need to be registered by the Australian Government and be on the Chinese list. Mr. Hancock believes that the approval of more producers could result in millions of dollars in trade.
“I think combined with other horticultural crops that have been approved there is potential for quite some millions of dollars in trade to to occur,” he said. “We think that this is a great sign that Beijing and Canberra are talking and that things are moving in the right trajectory.”
The move was welcomed by Nationals leader David Littleproud, who said the next test will be for Australian wine. “The big test still is wine,” he said. “There’s $1.2 billion that was stripped out of the wine industry with no other real market to send it to, that was lost overnight.”
The approval of more Australian citrus, stone fruit, mangoes, and cherries to be sold into the Chinese market could be a major boost for the industry. With the two countries working together to open up new trade opportunities, the potential for increased exports and income for growers is high.
The citrus industry is just one of many that could benefit from the increased trade between Australia and China. With the right measures in place, the two countries could unlock even more potential and create a mutually beneficial relationship.