Spanish stonefruit producers have welcomed the official signing of the import protocol that will permit them to start exporting stonefruit to China this season.
The deal makes Spain the first European country to be authorised to ship plums, peaches, nectarines and flat peaches to the Chinese market.
Shipments cannot get underway until officials from China’s plant health authority AQSIQ have visited Spain to inspect the production, packing and coldstorage facilities of the companies that have signed up to the official register under the terms of the import protocol.
Fepex said the visit would probably take place at the end of May or beginning of June, which would allow the first airflown exports to be carried out in the 2016 production season.
“This agreement comes at a crucial moment for us given that Russia, one of our major export markets taking more than 50,000 tonnes of our stonefruit, will remain closed for a third consecutive summer,” said Manel Simon, director of Catalan fruit association Afrucat.
Selecting the right varieties will be crucial in order to ensure that fruit could withstand the minimum 28-day journey plus extra time for customs clearance, Simon said.
He pointed out that many exporters already supplied South American markets such as Brazil with a transit time of 30 days and could therefore guarantee the quality of the fruit on arrival.
Afrucat said a total of 19 Catalan companies have been authorised to export to China this season after signing up to the agriculture ministry’s online registration system.
FAO data shows that Chinese stonefruit imports to date have been very limited. Last year the country imported 17,137 tonnes of plums from Chile, New Zealand and the US, and 74 tonnes of peaches and nectarines from Australia.
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