On April 9, 2019, China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) published an updated list of fresh fruits permissible for import into China to reflect newly granted market access for bananas from Cambodia. This is the second update of 2019 and follows the January 16 update in which Argentinian cherries were added to the list.

On August 2, 2018, China and Cambodia signed an agreement on inspection and quarantine requirements that opened the door for Cambodia to claim a share of China’s vast banana market. The signing of the protocol represented achievement of official market access for Cambodian bananas, the first Cambodian fresh fruit to be legally permissible for import into China.

In recent years, China’s banana imports have grown rapidly to reach a total value $897 million in 2018. This represents growth of 55% over 2017 and is nearly 2.5 times the value of imports in 2012. Approximately two thirds of China’s banana imports come from the Philippines.

Cambodia currently has nearly 50 million hectares of growing area for the banana variety now exportable to China. Located primarily in the provinces of Ratanakiri and Kratié, among others, these plantations have an annual production volume of approximately 300,000 tons.

Cambodia’s advantageous conditions for banana production include limited impact from typhoons, as well as hot and sunny weather suitable for continuous year-round growing. This contrasts with China’s domestic banana production regions in which staggered influence from typhoons and cold weather impact key periods for the tree’s growth. Additionally, Cambodia enjoys a near-zero infection rate of Fusarium wilt disease, one of the most destructive diseases for banana producers worldwide. As most other banana producing countries are suffering steadily rising infection rates, Cambodia remains at a relative advantage in this regard.

Moreover, enthusiasm for banana production continues to grow as the Cambodian government has granted years of profit tax exemption for agricultural development projects including the planting of over 1,000 hectares of rice paddies, 500 hectares of cash crops, and 50 hectares of vegetables.

Cambodia’s first banana exports destined for China were shipped in January 2019. However, as China’s inspection and quarantine procedures had not yet been fully completed at that time, all had to be transshipped through Vietnam.

Cambodia’s Minister of Agriculture, Veng Sakhon, has said more Cambodian agricultural products are expected to achieve permission for direct export to China, as China’s GAC will be conducting evaluation and review for Cambodian mangoes, longan, durian, dragonfruit, pepper, bird’s nest, and coconut.

The following is an edited and translated version of the April 9, 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

CAMBODIA

Banana (Musa supientum)

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)

COLOMBIA

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)