Trade, Trust, and the EU’s Green Agenda | Ep. 80

In this episode of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with José Antonio García Fernández, CEO of AILIMPO in Spain and co-founder of the World Citrus Organization (WCO), to explore how global collaboration is changing the future of citrus.José discusses how WCO was born from a long-standing partnership with South Africa's Citrus Growers' Association and why building a unified, global citrus community was necessary in a fragmented, often competitive industry. He unpacks how the WCO has united citrus-producing nations—including Spain, South Africa, Egypt, Argentina, Turkey, USA, and more—under one roof to share knowledge, manage global market access issues, and build trust through open dialogue.He also provides a first-hand look at citrus sector challenges in Europe, the impact of the Green Deal, and why Spain continues to lead in exports. Looking ahead, he reveals the WCO’s ambition to launch global citrus marketing campaigns—taking a page from the success of the avocado industry.Key Takeaways:•WCO now represents virtually every citrus-producing country in the world•Trust, transparency, and dialogue are core to solving global issues in citrus trade•European citrus faces rising labor costs and policy restrictions under the Green Deal•Spain dominates EU citrus exports thanks to proximity and rapid delivery logistics•A key goal for WCO is to fund and run international campaigns to grow citrus consumption•Citrus growers worldwide face similar challenges—and benefit from shared solutionsConnect with Us:Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/