A public-private delegation of the People's Republic of China met with the highest representatives of Chile's Association of Fruit Exporters AG (ASOEX) to strengthen relations and further their knowledge of Chilean fruit exports.
The meeting was held on Monday at the offices of ASOEX, with the participation of Wang Jun, director of the Entry & Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of the Port of Shenzhen (CIQ), and Zhang Ju, an assistant to the Association for Consumer Products Quality and Safety Promotion (CPQS). In addition, there were representatives from the retail sector and of different fresh fruit import and export companies, such as: Xin Hong, the Secretary of Pagoda, a chain that specializes in fresh produce, Guangqiang Ou, the Sales Manager of Pagoda, Fan Guangen, the Vice President of Heibei Jinzhou Great Wall Economy Tread co., Ltd,and Zhang Yushan, the President of Gansu Ganffer Fruit Co., Ltd. The delegation also included Wang Xiaolin, the General Manager of Qingdao Texbond Co.,Yanxin Lu, the General Manager of Beijing FuFengYouYuan Trade Co., Ltd., and Gao Chen, the Manager of Beijing FuFengYouYuan Trade Co., Ltd.
The delegation was received by Ronald Bown, President of ASOEX, and the General Manager of ASOEX, Miguel Canala-Echeverria, who were accompanied by Ignacio Caballero, the Deputy Manager of Marketing at ASOEX, Paulina Escudero, an Agronomist of ASOEX, and Santiago Contreras, the association's marketing advisor.
"Having the representatives of the plant health entity of the port of Shenzhen is very positive for us, as it is the main gateway of our fruits to that market. More than 63% percent of the fruit we export to China enters through that port," said Ronald Bown.
The President of ASOEX added: "Being visited by importers and representatives of Chinese supermarkets that come to learn more about Chile, and our fruit's production and export process is always good for our industry. It allows us to expand our distribution and enhance our promotions, focusing our efforts in the entry of new fruits, such as pears; a process in which we are working with the Agricultural and Livestock Service. This mission is framed in this context, which is why we wish to act reciprocally, promoting the import of Chinese pears to our market this year."
Bown said that Chile was China's leading supplier of fresh fruit in the counter-season. Chilean exports to China grow every season. During the 2014-2015 campaign, Chile exported more than 137 thousand tons to this market, while in the 2015-2016 campaign Chile exported more than 249 thousand tons to this destination, making Asia the third biggest destination for Chilean fruits. It's very possible that, in the near future, this continent will become the biggest market for Chilean exports.
Meanwhile, Wang Jun, the Director of the Entry & Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of the Port of Shenzhen, stated: "This visit is very important because we did not know the work of this Association before coming to Chile, and the presentation they did allowed us to see the extensive work they perform. We find it important to have more information like this, because it allows us to establish better collaboration and increase international trade between the countries."
The Chinese delegation's visit in March 2017
Wang added: "The Chilean fruit enjoys prestige in our market. In addition, much of this fruit enters China through the port of Shenzhen, so this visit permits me to better know their production process, system management, and control procedures to further improve the efficiency of our work and also to improve the efficiency of the verification of the Chilean fruit. I hope this will lead to more fruit from Chile entering our port to the Chinese market."
During the 2015-2016 season, Chile shipped 249,029 tons of fresh fruit to China, (300,787 tons including the Hong Kong market), more than 157 thousand tons of which entered China through the port of Shenzhen.
The main fruits shipped to the Chinese market in the 2015-2016 campaign were: table grapes (44.8% of total), cherries (23.3%), plums (11.2%), kiwis (8.3%), red apples (5.2%), avocado (2.4%), and blueberries (1.8%), among others.
The visit
The Chinese delegation began their visit on Monday and they will stay in the country up until Thursday, March 30. The representatives will meet with professionals from the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), visit orchards and fruit packing facilities in the south-central part of the country, and visit the national retail sector to find out how they could ship Chinese fruit to the Chilean market, especially pears.
Source: SimFRUIT