China and Chile have taken the next step towards a protocol for the export of Chilean citrus to China as representatives from the General Administration of Customs of the People'sRepublic ofChina (GACC) visited orchards and packhouses.
The GACC delegation will spend more than a week in the visiting different regions of Chile on a tour organised by the Agricultural and Livestock Service of Chile (SAG) and the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile AG (ASOEX).
Rodrigo Astete, head of the agricultural and forestry protection division of SAG, said the two countries are currently negotiating the protocol but hope to reach an agreement by the final day of the visit on 20 August.
“Together with the Chinese experts we will visit various citrus producing areas in Chile in the regions of Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Metropolitana and O'Higgins,” Astete told SimFRUIT.
“The Chinese visitors will spend 10 days in Chile, and on the last day we will have a negotiation process to agree on the final texts of the protocol.”
Miguel Canala Echeverría, general manager of ASOEX, noted Chile already exports cherries, blueberries, kiwis, table grapes, nectarines, plums, avocados, apples and pears to China so the process to develop a protocol is a familiar one.
“This is a very important visit for the Chilean citrus exporting industry, because during this visit Chinese professionals will be able to see, in the field, the phytosanitary process in the production and export of these fruits,” Canala-Echeverría told SimFRUIT.
“We hope that the entry protocol of our citrus fruits to China will be signed in November, during the APEC meeting.”
