Over 30 Fresh Fruit Items Granted China Market Access in 2023

January 11, 2024

Jing Zang

According to the General Administration of Customs of China, 31 fresh fruit items from 20 countries and regions were granted permission to be imported into China in 2023. The pace and scale of admission both saw substantial increases compared with the previous year.

With the exception of Laotian mangos, Serbian apples, Iranian apples and South African avocados, all of the fruit items have been included in the GACC’s official list of fresh fruits permissible for import into China.

Overall, the number of Asian countries and regions granted access to the Chinese market has reached 23, while the numbers of African and South American countries have reached six and seven, respectively. Four countries, namely Kazakhstan, Iran, Zimbabwe and the Dominican Republic, gained market access for the first time.

**Fruits granted permission for import into China in 2023**
Country/region	Fruit item
Pakistan	Cherries (Prunus avium)
Philippines	Durians (Durio zibethinus)
Cambodia	Longans (Dimocarpus longan)
Laos	Mangos (Mangifera indica) [waiting for formal approval]
Malaysia	Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Myanmar	Bananas (Musa supientum)
Kazakhstan	Peaches (Prunus persica), apricots (Prunus armeniaca)
Serbia	Apples (Malus domestica) [waiting for formal approval]
Uzbekistan	Lemons (Citrus limon)
Iran	Oranges (Citrus sinensis), mandarins (Citrus reticulata), sweet lemons (Citrus limetta), apples (Malus domestica) [waiting for formal approval]
Indonesia	Pineapples (Ananas comosus)
Taiwan, China	Sugar apples/sweet sop (Annona squamosa) [imports resumed]
South Africa	Avocados (Persea americana) [waiting for formal approval]
Kenya	Avocados (Persea americana)
Zimbabwe	Mandarins (Citrus reticulata), oranges (Citrus sinensis), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lemons (Citrus limon), Key limes (Citrus aurantifolia), sour oranges (Citrus aurantium)
France	Kiwi berries (Actinidia arguta)
Spain	Persimmons (Diospyros kaki)
Dominican Republic	Avocados (Persea americana var. Hass)
Ecuador	Yellow dragon fruit (Hylocereus megalanthus), red dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus)
Chile	Peaches (Prunus persica), apricots (Prunus armeniaca)

In 2023, Kazakhstan and Chile each had two fruit items granted market access to China, while Iran had four and Zimbabwe had six. With the addition of Chilean peaches and apricots, a total of 15 fresh fruit items from Chile are now permitted to enter China, encompassing nearly all major fruit categories. Exports of sugar apples from Taiwan to mainland China were also allowed to resume on June 20, although China Customs suspended imports of mangos from Taiwan on Aug. 21.

2023 marked the first year of China’s relaxation of COVID-19 control measures, leading to a recovery in fruit imports. According to data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products, China’s imports of fruit and related products amounted to $17.16 billion and 7.80 million metric tons in the first 11 months of 2023, representing year-on-year increases of 18.44% and 5.41%, respectively.

During this period, the top 10 suppliers of fruit and related products to China in terms of import value were Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, the Philippines, New Zealand, Peru, Indonesia, Cambodia, Australia and Malaysia. Together, these countries accounted for 90.73% of China’s total imports of fruit and related products. As the largest supplier, Thailand exported $7.02 billion worth of fruits and related products to China in the first 11 months of 2023, reflecting a 16.88% increase compared with the same period of the previous year.

Image: Pixabay

This article was based on a Chinese article. Read the original article.