China: Increased grape export

The PRC will in all probability produce some 62 million tons of apples, pears and grapes next season. 38 million tons of apples, 16.5 million tons of pears and 7.2 million in grapes. The import of apples, especially from the US, appears to undergo delays because of risk of infection in China, but mutual committees have the problem under consideration. The entire apple exports is expected to drop due to high prices and low demand abroad.

Production
Apple production in China is reasonable. A prospectus shows that the country will yield about 38 million tons next year (2012/13), an increase of 5% compared to 2011/12. With an area of 2.2 million hectares the designated acreage grows with 1%. Fuji apples make up 70% of the total apple harvest.

The yield of pears is expected to increase with 4% compared to the previous season. Authorities predict a harvest of 16.5 tons, an increase presumably due to improved management. The acreage, however, will increase to 1.08 million hectares.

The grape harvest will grow with 9% to 7.2 million tons. The growth is mainly due to a significant increase in acreage: a total of about 633,000 hectares. 10% of the production takes place in greenhouses.

Import / Export
The import of apples is expected to fall with 11%. This due to the withdrawal of import licenses for apples from the US. The import of pears with 1600 tons is negligible. China has enough domestic stocks. It is expected however, that the country will import about 180,000 tons of grapes, a whopping 20% increase. The popularity of seedless grapes plays a major role.

Source: USDA