Chinese Market Opens to Chilean Citrus

According to a May 14 announcement by China’s General Administration of Customs, citrus fruits from Chile meeting the stipulated phytosanitary requirements are now allowed to be exported to China.

The citrus varieties given the green light this time include Chilean mandarins and their hybrids, grapefruits, oranges and lemons. Fruits for export must originate from the Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaiso, O’Higgins or Metropolitan regions.

Chile has an important competitive advantage, namely, a general absence of fruit flies. To preserve the status of Chile as a fruit-fly-free country, Chile’s Agriculture and Livestock Service maintains permanent vigilance. In addition, the preventive strategy of releasing sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies throughout northern Chile and southern Peru has helped maintain pest-free status.

At Asia Fruit Logistica 2019, Produce Report visited the Chilean fruit industry pavilion and interviewed Monserrat Valenzuela, manager of the Chilean Citrus Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX).

Chile is the second largest citrus exporter in the Southern Hemisphere and enjoys the advantage of supplying China with counter-seasonal citrus. In 2018, Chile exported a total volume of 360,000 tons of citrus to the world. According to Monserrat Valenzuela, over 80% of Chile’s citrus production goes to the U.S. market, with only less than 10% being destined for Asia. In recent years, the Chilean citrus industry has been working to diversify its exports and strengthen the presence of Chilean citrus in various markets. The investigation of the Chinese market and its consumers is well underway.

Images: Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (main image) and © 2019 Produce Report (body image)

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.

The official announcement from China’s General Administration of Customs regarding the import approval of Chilean citrus can be found here (in Chinese).