Asia, and specifically China, is an export destination that is growing in importance for many Latin American companies. It seems that everyone is keeping an eye on this market, especially as China has recently opened its borders to a wide variety of fruits from several different countries. Spain is also increasing its exports to China. This year their exports were up by 57% compared to the same period in 2016. A good example would be the increased exports of Spanish plums and oranges to China, as well as the persimmons and berries that are exported more widely across the Asian continent.
Latin America is also working hard to open up the Chinese market. For instance, China has recently become Mexico’s second most important trading partner after the US. Avocados, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries have been all been cleared for export to the Asian giant, while bananas could be the next fruit to gain access, as the government hopes to open this market by the end of the year.
In 2016, Chile became one of the most important exporters of fresh fruit to China, where it was already the main supplier of cherries which, along with blueberries, are the best known Chilean products there. For the coming cherry campaign, they intend to increase the number of cities they supply in China. Apart from cherries and blueberries, kiwis, table grapes, plums, apples and avocados have all had access for a few years now.
Uruguay, Argentina and Peru all export citrus to China. A recent development was the protocol for Uruguayan Tangerines, which resulted in the first imports of Uruguayan Clemenvilla tangerines to enter the Shanghai market. Uruguay also exports blueberries to China, however a more recent development has been the granting of access to Peruvian blueberries. Argentina is in the final stages of negotiations to open the Chinese market for its blueberries. As the Chinese blueberry season has now come to an end, there is no shortage of demand and plenty of space for all the berries Latin Americans can supply.
China has allowed the import of bananas from, for example, Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica for a few years now. But a recent development was the import of Ecuadorian mangoes, which is currently in its start-up phase, as well as Costa Rican pineapples, which are being well received by Chinese consumers. Now, Costa Rican melon producers are also seeking to open the Chinese border.
As China has been importing large volumes of fruit for some years now, the potential has also been noticed by Brazil. The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) is currently working hard to develop a fruit trade between Brazil and China.
This article is only a summary of some of the movements and developments concerning the Chinese and/or Asian markets, with regard to Spain and Latin America. This may be one of the aspects that is driving the growth of the Asian Fruit Logistica. The exhibition starts tomorrow, Wednesday the 6th of September and continues until Friday 9th of September. Spain and Latin America, you may be certain, will be well represented.