JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is preparing its first shipments of citrus fruit to the Philippines after 12 years of negotiations finally resulted in a trade deal for the sector last year, its industry body said on Wednesday.

The export deal will see 20,000 tonnes of citrus fruit a year exported to the new market, raking in about 200 million rand ($14.75 million) in revenue over the next five years, Justin Chadwick, chief executive of the Citrus Growers Association, told Reuters.

South Africa, the world’s second largest exporter of fresh citrus after Spain, exported a record 146 million cartons of citrus including oranges, lemons and grapefruits in 2020, with European markets the biggest recipients of the fruit.