With the farms already registered and ready, the stonefruit sector is waiting for the Chinese authorities to officially authorise the protocol that will allow the export of peaches, nectarines and Paraguayo peaches to this country. While the sector expects news in this regard later this month, the current political situation in Spain is not giving a good impression to China.
The Councillor of Water, Agriculture and Environment of Murcia, Adela Martínez-Cachá, said on Saturday in a statement that political uncertainty "has led to China's suspension of the negotiations to allow the entry of our stonefruit. We hope for the situation to go back to normal soon, so that the protocol that will bring our stonefruit to China can be approved," he added.
Spanish stonefruit needs to find destinations outside the EU
"Besides expanding in terms of acreage, there has also been a varietal renewal in Murcia and other producing areas, with a higher productivity per hectare," explains the president of APOEXPA, Joaquín Gómez, in an interview to FreshPlaza at Fruit Logistica. "Any container we can sell to non-EU destinations will contribute to 'unclog' the EU market," adds Fermín Sánchez, president of Gruventa.
The United States may be hindering the process
Both Joaquín Gómez and Fermín Sánchez warned that if Spain finally manages to open a trade route with China for its stonefruit, competition with the United States will be very tough.
"U.S. exporters have already been warned by their authorities that Spain is about to sign a protocol with China and this may harm them, since the quality and prices are similar. The United States could consequently be trying to hinder the process," they point out.