China Import Troubles Deepen for Philippine Bananas and Pineapples

Following the destruction of 60 tons of Philippine bananas at the port of Shanghai in April, the situation has only gotten worse for Philippine exporters, which have increasingly run afoul of Chinese authorities in recent months.

The troubles include the halting by AQSIQ (China’s national phytosanitary authority) of fruit exports by 32 Philippine companies, along with instances of the seizure and destruction of shipments of bananas found to contain invasive insects at two Chinese ports of entry.

A document published at an unknown date and without further comment or explanation on the official AQSIQ website lists the names and addresses of 32 companies in the Philippines which as of June 12 have been banned from exporting fruit to China. Among the companies, 30 are listed as exporters of bananas and two as exporters of pineapples.

In separate news, Chinese domestic media outlets reported two cases in the past two months of the seizure and destruction of shipments of bananas found by quarantine staff to be contaminated with gray pineapple mealybug (Dysmicoccus neobrevipes Beardsley). The first case was reported in early June and led to the destruction of approximately 20 tons of bananas seized at the port of Tianjin and valued at US$15,000. The second seizure took place on July 4 in Qingdao: authorities destroyed approximately 21 tons of bananas valued at over US$21,000.

Image: Wikipedia