China granted Chile market access for fresh nectarines on 25 October after three years of negotiations.
The second Southern Hemisphere supplier to clinch access to China for nectarines this year, Chile is expected to begin shipping its stonefruit to the People’s Republic this November afternegotiations between Chile’s Agriculture & Livestock Service (Sag) and China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine (Aqsiq) concluded last Friday.
Chile’s minister of agriculture, Carlos Furche, said the deal had been highly sought after by both the private and public sector, and was welcomed news for the country's exporters ahead of the 2016/17 season.
Chile’s nectarine exports are valued at around US$55m annually, said Furche, but in an increasingly competitive market, access to China was great news for Chile's fruit industry..
The agreement with China will see some 1m boxes of nectarines exported to the country this coming season, according to president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (Asoex) Ronald Bown, who said the deal would benefit more than 500 Chilean growers and some 60 exporters.
Earlier this year, Chile gained access to China for walnuts in shells, and continues to drive exports of avocados, cherries, and blueberries to China.
