Chile is one step away from being able to export peaches and apricots to China with Chinese inspectors currently visiting orchards in the South American country. This is part of the final verification step where after the first shipments can start. According to Iván Marambio, the president of Frutas de Chile (former Asoex), “We believe that our export of peaches and apricots would begin this season, following the Chinese inspections.”
These technical visits by inspectors from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Department of the General Administration of Customs of China is necessary for the new exports to then start once the audit is approved. The Chilean President Gabriel Boric visited China last month (17 October, 2023) where Chilean fruit exporters celebrated the signing of four protocols for the entry of fresh Chilean apricots and peaches to China.
“Our industry has good expectations because in China there is already a development of consumption of peaches and apricots. China imports around 40 thousand tons of stone fruit every season, especially peaches and nectarines, with Chile and Australia being the main suppliers. So we can take advantage of this knowledge of our stone fruits to boost the consumption of our peaches and apricots,” states Marambio.
He says they expect the first shipments this season. “Our first export volumes would be prospective, as we will be evaluating the reception of different varieties of these fruit to target those with better reception by Chinese consumers. All this will be accompanied by promotions. During the 2022-2023 season, Chile exported globally more than 90 thousand cases of apricots and more than 2.6 million cases of peaches,” explains Marambio.
According to Asoex among the agreements signed, three Memorandums of Understanding on Phytosanitary Certification, Organic Food Certification Cooperation and the development of a Chinese Demonstration Farm in Chile also stand out.
For more information:
Iván Marambio
Asoex
Tel: + 56 2 2472 4700
Email: [email protected]
www.asoex.cl