Based in the northeastern part of China, Dalian Yidu Group has been importing fresh fruit since 1988. It has established good relationships with leading fruits suppliers worldwide predominantly from Chile, the U.S., South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South Asia. But up until this year, they couldn't import any pears from the United States. A deal between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Chinese authorities, however, has changed that.
“After the agreement was reached by the Chinese and American authorities in late January to allow direct shipments of U.S. pears into China, we contacted all our pear suppliers to find out when the USDA would allow them to issue phytosanitary certificates for the pear shipments,” said Dalian Yidu’s Nick Naseri. “Duckwall Fruit Company in Hood River, Oregon went through great efforts to make this all possible and was the first supplier that informed us they had the green light from the USDA. They then promptly loaded three containers of Green and Red Anjou pears destined for China.” The expected date of arrival is February 21, and Naseri thinks it will be the start of a good arrangement between American pear suppliers and Chinese importers.
“We'll ship about 15 more loads directly to China this year,” said Naseri. “But we want to double that next season and maybe even do 40 loads.” Working with the Northwest Pear Bureau, they've already planned for promotions to get Chinese consumers primed for the arrival of American fruit, and Naseri also noted that he thinks this will signal a trend where fruit can move freely between the two nations.
“Now we are waiting for apples to be approved, and we hope that will happen in the next two or three years,” he said. “We hope both sides can reach an agreement because it would really benefit all parties involved including U.S. farmers, exporters, and importers.”
