Citrus Research International (CRI) is the mainstay of scientific advancement in SA’s citrus industry. Without its expertise the industry — especially its export component, which is the most lucrative — would be brought to its knees. Yet the pivotal role of CRI’s scientific innovation and world-class research in the citrus industry is a story that remains largely untold.
Take citrus black spot, for example. South African citrus destined for the export market is subject to various phytosanitary regulations. Therefore, disease management is paramount — including formulating and evaluating risk management strategies, and structuring spray programmes, host resistance, and product comparison for evaluation.
CRI has dedicated resources, both scientific expertise and funding, to a multi-faceted citrus black spot research portfolio for many years. This research has aligned itself with other citrus black spot research across the world, demonstrating that it poses no realistic risk to citrus industries in regions with Mediterranean-type climates, such as citrus production regions in the EU. It is clear from research findings that fresh citrus fruit is not a pathway for the spread of the disease.
CRI receives an annual budget of only R59m (far short of the national research target of 1.5%, suggesting the funding level should be at R150m for the citrus industry). It has a staff complement of 78, plus a network of research partners to generate scientific findings that guard the livelihood of the industry, as well as continuing to benchmark itself against the world’s best.
It is also the groundbreaking work of CRI that lies behind the European Food and Veterinary Office’s last glowing report that lauded the South African citrus industry’s systems as comprehensive, robust, and exceeding EU compliance and risk mitigation requirements. The office conducts audits on the animal and plant health management systems in countries exporting to the EU.
The citrus industry boasts annual revenue of R9.4bn, of which 80% is due to exports. Apart from being Africa’s leading citrus exporter, the industry provides 100,000 jobs to South Africans. A boon, given the current unemployment rate of 26.6% (with 500,000 jobs lost in the first half of 2016).
Because export comprises such a significant slice of the citrus revenue pie, compliance with international standards remains a major task for CRI.
