South Africa has become the main supplier of fruit, particularly citrus, to Russia. About a quarter of all oranges on the Russian market come from South Africa. Since the trade between the nations was initiated twenty years ago, not a single shipment has been rejected on phytosanitary grounds, according to Mikhail Fateev, head of the food and agriculture department of the Russia-RSA Business Council.
South African growers may have a problem, Technical Regulations for “Food production labeling” introduced by Eurasian Economic Commission and due for full enforcement in Russia from February 15, 2015, are difficult, expensive and in some cases impossible for implementation by SA Fruit industry. It is technologically not possible to carry out EAC labels sticking in ports of shipment without destruction of pallets prepared for long oceanic travel. Neither it’s possible to stick labels on cartons at packing houses: Fruits are packed for exports without correlation to a specific market.