China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) on January 16 published an updated version of its “China Inspection and Quarantine Access List for Fresh Fruits and Exporting Regions” which included the addition to the list of Cherries from Argentina. Inclusion of a fruit from a particular region on the list is the final step in gaining import access into the China market.

This was the first update to the permitted fresh fruits lists issued by GAC this year. Last year, ten types of fruit gained approval for import into China, down from 17 new types in 2017. Most of these approvals came in the latter half of 2018. Specifically, the fruits that gained approval for export to China in 2018 were: Uruguayan fresh blueberries; Kyrgyzstani fresh melons; Argentine fresh blueberries and cherries; Laotian bananas; Cambodian bananas; Philippine coconuts; Panamanian fresh pineapples; Spanish table grapes; and Portuguese table grapes.

The phytosanitary protocols agreement for cherries was signed by Chinese ambassador to Chile YANG Wanming and Argentine Minister of Agro-Industry Luis Miguel Etchevehere, during a ceremony in Argentina on December 2, 2018, on the heels of the Buenos Aries G20 summit.

Patagonia and Mendoza are the main cherry producing regions in Argentina, which has historically exported at most around 2,500 tons of fresh cherries per year, mostly by air freight, with volumes peaking in December. In the 2013/14 season, Hong Kong surpassed Europe as the top market for Argentine cherries, taking 500 tons.

With Argentine cherries allowed for import into the mainland, the first batch of cherries to mainland China is reportedly already in transit. The shipment of 8 containers carrying 160 tons of cherries is being shipped overland from Neuquén, Argentina to the port of Valparaiso, Chile, from where they will be sent to China by ocean freight. The cherries in the shipment originate from Neuquén, Negro and Chubut provinces.

GAC on January 11 published a Chinese-language document outlining phytosanitary requirements for Argentine cherries coming into China, which is available here.

The following is an edited and translated version of the 16 January 2019 GAC updated list of fresh fruits permitted to be imported into China (original document available here).

Notes:

• We have followed GAC’s ordering of continents, but for the list of countries/regions within each continent, we have rearranged into alphabetical according to each region’s common English name
• Latin names are as written in the GAC document.
• Bolding and underlines were added by Produce Report to improve readability
• The order of fruits within each country is the same as in the original GAC document, and generally reflects the order in which fruits from a certain region were granted permission to be imported into China.

Asia

INDIA

Mango (Mangifera indica), Grape (Vitis vinifera)

INDONESIA

Banana (Musa nana), Longan (Dimocarpus longan), Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), Salacca (Salacca zalacca)

ISRAEL

Orange (Citrus sinensis), Pomelo (Citrus maxima =Citrus grandis, a synonymous Latin name used in the phytosanitary protocols agreement), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Lemon (Citrus limon), Grapefruit (Citrus paradise = Citrus paradise a synonymous Latin name used in the phytosanitary protocols agreement)

[all on trial import]

LAOS

Banana (Musa supientum)

JAPAN

Apple (Malus domestica), Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)

KYRGYZSTAN

Cherry (Prunus avium)

MALAYSIA

Longan (Dimocarpus longan), Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), Pawpaw (Chaenomeles sinensis), Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

MYANMAR

Longan (Dimocarpus longan), Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Mango (Mangifera indica), Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), Melon (Cucumis melo), lndian jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana)

(The final four kinds of fruits can only be imported to China through the ports at Daluo and Ruili in Yunnan province)

NORTH KOREA

Sweetberry honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L. var. edulis Turcz. ex Herd.), Lingonberry (Vaccinium sp.) (only for processing)

PAKISTAN

Mango (Mangifera indica), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Orange (Citrus sinensis)

PHILIPPINES

Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Banana (Musa sp.), Mango (Mangifera indica), Papaya (Carica papaya)

SOUTH KOREA

Grape (Vitis vinifera)

TAIWAN, CHINA

Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Banana (Musa sp.), Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Sugar apple / Sweet sop (Annona squamosa) Atemoya (Annona cherimola × Annonasquamosa)*, Pawpaw (Chaenomeles sinensis), Papaya (Carica papaya), Fruit of Carambola (Averrhoa carambola), Mango (Mangifera indica), Guava (Psidium guajava), Rose apple (Syzygium samarangense), Betel nut (Areca catechu), Plum (Prunus salicina), Loguat** (Eriobotrya japonica), Persimmon (Diospyros kaki), Peach (Prunus persica), Indian jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana), Japanese apricot / Mei (Prunus mume), Pitaya (Hylocereus undulatus, Hylocereus polyrhizus, Hylocereus costaricensis), Melon / Cantaloupe (Cucunmis melo), Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia), Grape [Vitis vinifera, Vitis labrusca and hybrid cultivars, primarily the Kyoho grape (Vitis vinifera × Vitis labrusca na Bailey cv. Kyoho)], Citrus [Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and its hybrid cultivars, Pomelo (Citrus maxima), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), Lemon (Citrus limon), Orange (Citrus sinensis)]

*[Translator’s Note: On the GAC list, Sugar apple / Sweet sop and Atemoya are both listed under the same Chinese name (番荔枝).

**[Translator’s Note: Apparently an unintentional but common misspelling of loquat.]

TAJIKISTAN

Cherry (Prunus avium)

THAILAND

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Sugarapple (Annona squamosa), Papaya (Carica papaya), Carambola (Averrhoa carambola), Guava (Psidium guajava), Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), Rose apple (Syzygium samarangense), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Long kong (Lansium parasiticum), Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), Banana (Musa sp.), Passion fruit (Passiflora caerulea), Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Longan (Dimocarpus longan), Durian (Durio zibethinus), Mango (Mangifera indica), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), Orange (Citrus sinensis), Pomelo (Citrus maxima)

TURKEY

Cherry (Prunus avium)

UZBEKISTAN

Cherry (Prunus avium)

VIETNAM

Mango (Mangifera indica), longan (Dimocarpus longan), Banana (Musa sp.), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Pitaya (Hylocereus undulatus)

 

Africa

EGYPT

Citrus Category (Citrus spp.), Grape (Vitis vinifera)

MOROCCO

Citrus [Orange (Citrus sinensis), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Clementine (Citrus clementina), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)]

SOUTH AFRICA

Citrus [Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Orange (Citrus sinensis), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), Lemon (Citrus limon)], Grape (Vitis vinifera), Apple (Malus domestica)

 

Europe

BELGIUM

Pear (Pyrus communis)

CYPRUS

Citrus [Orange (Citrus sinensis), Lemon (Citrus limon), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), Mandora (Citrus sinensis × Citrus reticulata)]

FRANCE

Apple (Malus domestica), Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa)

GREECE

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa)

HOLLAND

Pear (Pyrus communis)

ITALY

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa), Citrus [Orange (Citrus sinensis cv. Tarocco, cv. Sanguinello, cv. Moro), Lemon (Citrus limon cv. Femminello comune)]

POLAND

Apple (Malus domestica)

SPAIN

Citrus [Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Orange (Citrus sinensis), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), Lemon (Citrus limon)], Peach (Prunus persica), Plum (Prunus salicina, Prunus domoestica)

North America

CANADA

Cherry (Prunus avium, only from British Columbia), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp., only from British Columbia)

COSTA RICA

Banana (Musa AAA), Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

MEXICO

Avocado (Persea americana Var. Hass), Grape (Vitis vinifera), Blackberry (Rubus ulmifo-lius), Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)

PANAMA

Banana (Musa sp.)

UNITED STATES

Plum (Prunus salicina, Prunus domestica, only from CA), Cherry (Prunus avium, only from WA, OR, CA, ID), Grape (Vitis vinifera, only from CA), Apple (Malus domestica), Citrus Category (Citrus spp., only from CA, FL, AZ, TX), Pear (Pyrus communis, only from CA, WA, OR), Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa, only from CA)

South America

ARGENTINA

Citrus [Orange (Citrus sinensis), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and its hybrid cultivars], Apple (Malus domestica), Pear (Pyrus communis), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), Cherry (Prunus avium)

CHILE

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa), Apple (Malus domestica), Grape (Vitis vinifera), Plum (Prunus salicina, Prunus domoestica), Cherry (Prunus avium), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), Avocado (Persea americana), Nectarine (Prunus persica var. nectarine)

COLUMBIA

Banana (Musa sp.)

ECUADOR

Banana (Musa sp.), Mango (Mangifera indica)

PERU

Grape (Vitis vinifera), Mango (Mangifera indica), Citrus [Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi (=Citrus × paradisii, , a synonymous Latin name used in the phytosanitary protocols agreement)), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata (=Citrus reticulate, a synonymous Latin name used in the phytosanitary protocols agreement) and its hybrid cultivars, Orange (Citrus sinensis), Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and Persian / Tahitian lime (Citrus latifolia)], Avocado (Persea americana), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)

[Translator’s Note: Corresponding English names for Orange, Key lime and Persian lime are not written in document published by GAC. They have been added in this version based on the Latin names]

URUGUAY

Citrus Category (Citrus spp., except lemon), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)

Oceania

AUSTRALIA

Citrus [Orange (Citrus sinensis), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Lemon (Citrus limon), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), Lime (Citrus aurantifolia, Citrus latifolia, Citrus limonia), Tangelo (Citrus tangelo), Sweetie grapefruit (Citrus grandis × Citrus paradisi)], Mango (Mangifera indica), Apple (Malus domestica, only from Tasmania), Grape (Vitis vinifera), Cherry (Prunus avium), Nectarine (Prunus persica var. nectarine), Peach (Prunus persica), Plum (Prunus domestica, Prunus salicina), Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)

[Translator’s Note: The corresponding English name for Tangelo is not written in the document published by GAC. The English name for Sweetie grapefruit is also not written, and is based on information published by the Australian Department of Agriculture]

NEW ZEALAND

Citrus [Mandarin (Citrus reticulata, Citrus deliciosa, Citrus unshiu), Orange (Citrus sinensis), Lemon (Citrus limon, Citrus meyeri)], Apple (Malus domestica), Cherry (Prunus avium), Grape (Vitis vinifera), Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa, Actinidia deliciosa×Actinidia chinensis), Plum (Prunus salicina, Prunus domestica), Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia, Pyrus communis), Japanese apricot / Mei (Prunus mume), Persimmon (Diospyros kaki), Avocado (Persea americana)