Kat River Citrus the EU and work alongside the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to ensure it is doing all that it can to ensure the virus does not reach its production line. “It’s a huge threat, and we have to walk the walk in terms of the EU’s restrictions. We work closely with the Department of Agriculture and they are doing all that they can. “They have put in huge restrictions on citrus production and implemented a particularly expensive and harsh spray programme to control CBS. They also check every farm for the infection that is exporting into Europe, so they are very involved.”
FUTURE PLANS Despite any future threats to South Africa’s citrus industry, Danckwerts says that the cooperative is focussed on moving forward and further developing the business. “Our first goal is to produce more and more soft citrus fruit, the other goal is to resolve the issue in Europe, so we can expand and develop that market further, and our final goal is to diversify into Eastern Europe and the Far East.”
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