Chinese open their doors to Spanish stone fruit

China and Spain this week signed a phytosanitary protocol opening the Chinese market to imports of Spanish plums, peaches, nectarines and saturn (flat) peaches.

The first Spanish exports, probably by air, could start this season but first inspectors from AQSIQ, China’s customs and quarantine authority, must visit Spain to verify compliance requirements in the field, according to Fepex, the Spanish federation of associations of producers and exporters of fruit, vegetables, flowers and live plants.

In a press release, Fepex said the signing of the protocol, which took place yesterday in Beijing, is of strategic importance for Spain’s stone fruit sector.

“It opens one of the markets with the greatest potential for consumption in the world, virtually closed to imports from other producing countries. Spain is the first EU Member State authorised by AQSIQ to export stone fruit to its market.”

Fepex said Chinese stone fruit imports are extremely limited. It takes just 17,137 tons of plums, from Chile, New Zealand and the United States, and 74 tons of peaches and nectarines, from  Australia, based on FAO data, Fepex said.