The Chinese Government has refused to recognise the pest-free status of South Australian fruit, despite growers saying it is up to world standards.
Trade experts say it is a common tactic used to gain upper hand in negotiations
Growers call on Government to talk to Shandong, push for fruit-fly-free status
Fruit producers say the problem is costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars, as they have to carry out extra procedures to keep their Chinese clients happy.
Growers are calling for help from the Federal Government, as the extra costs are pushing some producers to the wall.
South Australia is the biggest citrus-producing state in the country. It exports its produce all around the world, and one of its main selling points is its pest-free status.
But for China, a growing export market, that is not enough.
China requires the fruit it buys to be cold sterilised, a process that Riverland citrus grower Mark Doecke describes as expensive and unnecessary.
"It's about $100 a tonne to cold sterilise fruit, so that could come back to the grower, all things being equal," Mr Doecke said.
During cold sterilisation, growers have to prove to the Chinese Government that their fruit has been kept at below 2 degrees Celsius for 21 days.
Mr Doecke said he had tried to convince Chinese authorities his fruit was clean, but it did not appear they were listening...
