On June 18, at the invitation of South Africa's minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, Chen Xiaodong, Ambassador to South Africa, witnessed the signing ceremony of South Africa citrus export agreement. After the new agreement comes into effect, South Africa's lemon exports to China are expected to exceed those of Argentina and Chile, according to the South African Citrus Growers Association (CGA).

According to the agreement, the new cold treatment requirement is 3 ℃ or below for at least 18 days. Previously, the two sides had been implementing the standards of the 2006 protocol. In order to eliminate fruit fly and apple curly moth, South African citrus should be cold treated at - 0.6 ℃ or below for at least 24 days.

It is reported that as China and South Africa reach a citrus trade agreement, South Africa will add at least R325 million in export revenue, which is approximately RMB 148 million. The South African Citrus Growers Association (CGA) stated that Argentina and Chile are the main countries in the southern hemisphere that export lemons to China. Once the agreement takes effect, South Africa will surpass the two countries. South Africa’s lemon exports to China are expected to reach 25,000 tons in 2024.

South Africa is the world's second largest exporter of citrus, and the annual peak harvest is mainly concentrated in mid-May to July. In 2020, the planting area of citrus in South Africa is about 51,900 mu, a year-on-year increase of 9%. The output exceeded 420,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 12%. The main export destinations of South African lemons are the Middle East (35%), Europe (34%), Southeast Asia (9%), Russia (9%) and North America (5%). South Africa’s total lemon production is expected to increase by 2% this year to 670,000 tons.