China looks set to become the first country in the modern age to ship imported apples to Australia, with indications that shipments could commence by December.
An arrangement document for the import of Chinese apples to Australia was signed on Monday in Beijing at the same time as the initialling of China’s import protocol for Australian table grapes.
According to Tony Russell, general manager of Apple & Pear Australia Limited, however, the initialling of the document only confirms the policy determination that was made by Biosecurity Australia (BA) at the end of June, namely to permit imports of Chinese apples into the country subject to various quarantine measures.
“From our point of view, that policy determination set in train the process to allow Chinese apples into Australia, and BA is now working through that process,” he said.
Indeed, a team of auditors and technical experts from BA is in China this week to audit the processes laid out in China’s workplan for addressing Australia’s risk management requirements.
“They’ll be visiting packhouses and orchards this week and next to audit these processes and the control mechanisms that are in place. For instance, there is a systems-based approach for managing certain pests, with insect traps and so on,” he explained.
“I anticipate that by the end of next week, they’ll (BA` have signed off on the workplan, providing there are no issues.”
Once BA has approved China’s workplan, commercial entities must then apply for permits to export to Australia, while AQIS inspectors will remain on the ground in China during the season to monitor the packing process.
China could nevertheless land its first apples in Australia before the year is out, according to Mr Russell. “In effect it will take a bit of time to sort out `all the processes`, and it’s unlikely to be much before December `that they can start shipping`,” he said.
When shipments do commence, volumes are expected to be fairly limited. “We don’t expect any great volume of product `to come over`,” Mr Russell said.
How Australia’s major retail chains respond to Chinese apple imports will be a key factor in their success in the Australian market, but there will also need to be strong commitment from the regional industries and governments in China.
According to one leading Australian fruit importer, when Chinese pears gained access to Australia several years ago, the government and industry in Hebei Province were the first to take up the opportunity to ship there in the opening season.
Shandong Province only joined the fray a year later, and even then there was limited interest from local government and industry to support the cost of the programme in terms of meeting quarantine requirements.
While Hebei is a major export production hub for pears, Shandong Province is likely to be the key source for apple exports to Australia, so the success of the programme will hinge to some extent on the support of the Shandong government.
