Chinese demand for Australian citrus is anticipated to set a new record this year, according to peak industry body Citrus Australia.
2013 marks the third year that Australian citrus has been legally sold to China, having previously entered through sales to Hong Kong and transport to mainland China via ‘grey channels’.
Market development general manager Andrew Harty has stated his expectation that China’s growing middle class is set to become Australia’s biggest export market in the next decade, driven by a demand for safer fresh produce.
'Not a week goes by in China where there's not some major food scandal,' he told the ABC. 'I think there was a recent survey of residents in Shanghai in which 73 per cent of them said they did not trust local produce.
'It is something of a crisis over there, the food safety issue, so anybody that can afford it will buy imported product.'
Since Australian citrus first began to enter China legally in 2011, sales have grown exponentially and may surpass the US for the first time this year.
'It's been absolutely phenomenal growth,' Harty told the ABC. 'In 2010, there was no trade at all. In 2011, I think about 11 or 12 containers, last year up to 110 and this year we are looking at around about 8,000 tonnes of product going in there.
'Previously, our biggest market was the United States, which this year will probably do about the same. In fact, China might eclipse the United States for the first time this year which will be an absolute milestone for our industry.'
