On Wednesday morning, the Minister of Agriculture led the inauguration of the promotion of blueberries and cherries in the Premium BHG Supermarket in Beijing. The goal of the promotion is publicizing the availability and quality, safety and health attributes of the Chilean cherries and blueberries.
"The Chilean cherries are the best in the world, they are here so you can judge for yourselves," said minister Furche during the launch of the promotion.
The Ambassador of Chile in China, Jorge Heine, the national director of the SAG, Angel Sartori, and the president of Asoex, Ronald Bown, attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was also attended by several executives from the supermarket and a number of Chinese media.
At the opening, minister Furche said that cherry exports to China in 2015 had amounted to nearly $370 million dollars and that there were better prospects for this year. "Chile exports cherries and blueberries in the counter season. The quality of its fruits is recognized worldwide and the FTA between both countries, which entered into force 10 years ago this year, gives Chile tariff advantages and facilitates trade," he said.
He added that Chile and China had a close business relationship. In fact, China is Chile's main trading partner. "Chile's main exports are copper and minerals, and they have been affected because of China's economy growing slightly slower, however our food exports continue to grow and we are sure they will continue to increase because Chinese demand can only increase in the coming years," he said.
In turn, Ambassador Heine stated that, "even though China was the farthest country from Chile, Chile had become its second largest supplier of fresh fruit, thanks to its Mediterranean climate, health conditions, and the flavor of their products. That's why Chinese consumers increasingly opt for our products."
In turn, the president of Asoex, Ronald Bown said that this promotion marked a new milestone in the already excellent commercial and political relations with China. "We want to deepen relations and increase our presence in this market. Chilean cherries and blueberries are not only being sold in China's big cities; they are also sold in some smaller cities," he added.