Five Andalusian citrus producers held meetings with Chinese importers and agents during a trade mission to Shanghai and Guangzhou last week organised by Andalusian trade promotion agency Extenda in collaboration with Asociafruit.
The aim of the trip was to raise the profile of Spanish citrus and promote sales of Andalusian oranges in this important market.
During the trip, the Spanish companies also had the opportunity to visit Shanghai’s wholesale market where they watched a presentation on the Chinese market by the Shanghai Fruit Import Committee.
The visit also included a presentation by Asociafruit on the Andalusian citrus sector and a series of bilateral meetings between citrus companies and importers from Guangzhou.
The companies that took part in the mission were Córdoba-based SAT Guadex, and Foasat, Iberhanse, Alg Natur Green and Sat Síntesis from Seville.
Although Spain has been permitted to export citrus to China since 2005, the first shipments were not made until 2015, when exports totalled €383,000. Last year, the region sent €7.4m of citrus to China, 8.2 per cent more than in 2017.
This makes China the tenth biggest market for Andalusian citrus, taking 2.6 per cent of the region’s total exports.
