Flow of Belgian and Dutch pears into China

Demand in China for imported pears continues to grow. In 2019/20, imports are estimated to be up almost 40% to 15,000 tons, according to USDA data. The rise in demand is largely attributed to the marketing campaigns organised by main suppliers Belgium and the Netherlands. The additional tariffs imposed on US pear imports mean that shipments have fallen from North America. As for the Southern Hemisphere, China recently granted access to Chilean pears, which join Argentinian pears on Chinese supermarket shelves.

China’s pear exports are also expected to increase by almost 40% to 500,000 tons in 2019/20, due to the larger crop. The main markets are in Southeast Asia, while exports to North America are also expected to rise.