Exports of pears to China continue to rise, although the increase is not as strong as in previous years, Dik de Winter writes in his KCB column. 2.7 million kg were exported to China last year. This is a growth of 10% compared to 2018. Since 2015, it is possible to export Dutch pears to this country under strict phytosanitary conditions.
Exporters can register fruit growers with the KCB for this.
In 2019, 8 exporters registered 82 pear growers. These 82 growers participated in the export program for China. As indicated, the phytosanitary conditions are pretty strict. For example, there may be e.g. due to the risk of Phytopthora, no pears exported to China that have been growing lower than 50 cm above the ground. There are also strict requirements for Fruit Moth (Cydia pomonella), bacterial fire and lenticelrot. With regard to fruit moth in the orchard, the grower must take control measures, including hanging up pheromone confusion. In addition, no infestations of the aforementioned diseases and pests may be found in the end product. If that is the case, the shipment will be rejected for export and the batch in question will be deleted from the China register. KCB inspectors visit the orchards during the growing season and visits also take place around the harvest.
Proper tracing is an important part of the protocol. This must be guaranteed from harvesting to the final packaging. The export inspection is also strict: 2% of the batched must be checked with a minimum of 1,200 pears, part of which is cut for internal inspection. The quality and shelf life must also be of such that the pears can withstand the journey by container (4 weeks) to China.
In the first months after the harvest, considerable quantities of pears were shipped to China by the exporters. The expectation is that this will be considerably less in the coming months due to, among other things, the involvement of the Coronavirus.
Source: KCB