China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has released its updated list of fruit approved for imports.
The list expands on fruit already approved for imports, clarifying the scientific names for a number of fruit varieties.
Of note is the expansion of scientific names listed for New Zealand and Chilean kiwifruit, which now lists both green kiwifruit (Actinidiadeliciosa) and gold kiwifruit (Actinidiachinensis) where previously all kiwifruit had been classed under the scientific name for gold kiwifruit.
New Zealand’s list of approved kiwifruit also includes the green-gold hybrid (Actinidia deliciosa×Actinidia chinensis).
The updated list follows news that AQSIQ suspended imports of kiwiberries after reclassifying the fruit in early March.
Kiwiberries were originally classed under the kiwifruit category but have since been changed to its scientific name Actinidia arguta, meaning it is no longer on the approved list of imports.
Exporters will now have to negotiate access for kiwiberries into China, though for some Southern Hemisphere producing countries such as New Zealand, the timing has meant finding alternative markets for kiwiberry exports.
