There are strong indications that California’s long wait for access to mainland China for its strawberries may soon be over.
The California industry has sought market access to the Chinese mainland for strawberries since 2006. Although some shipments were allowed for supplying the 2008 Olympics, progress toward that goal had been frustratingly slow.
“We believe approval for market access will be received during the first half of this year to allow shipments of strawberries to China during the California current season,” said Chris Christian, senior vice president of the CSC. “There has been no formal approval as of yet and if received, there would be several steps in the certification process to go through before any shipments could take place. But we remain optimistic for this year.”
Japan continues to be the largest offshore market for California fresh strawberries. According to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Japan imported 4,635 tonnes of strawberries from the US (likely all California-grown) in 2015, down slightly from the year before.
Japan has averaged approximately 4,900 tonnes annually since 2011 since there is steady demand from the confectionary trade. Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan are also significant international markets for California strawberries.
According to the CSC, acreage for the 2016 season is projected at just 13,160ha, down by 15 per cent since last season.
The primary problem is drought, which has caused the price of water to skyrocket over the last four years. In addition, there has been a shortage of field labour.
Complicating the economic picture for California strawberries is the imminent loss of the soil fumigant methyl bromide, which has been a vital tool in combating diseases and pests.
