Last year, the Chinese and Polish government came to agreement about the export of fresh Polish apples to China. Since then, no shipments have yet been made. The process towards market access is going though its last stages, which are expected to take another couple of months.
The Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Poland in June to sign a formal agreement which should be the official launch of the Polish apple export. First shipments could then take place from September onwards.
“I believe we have to wait another couple of months before the first shipments are allowed. Hopefully, we can launch the first imports by autumn. All import procedures have been finished successfully, we are now waiting for the government to say that it is OK to start. A few months ago, a Polish delegation visited China. Hopefully this will speed up these final stages,” says Henry Wang.
“We are ready to launch our import programme once the final agreement has been given. We keep in touch with supermarkets that will manage the distribution within China. These are placed in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Fujian, so we will be able to reach large parts of China. Together with the supermarkets and chain stores we will run promotion programs. Important is that Polish growers will be able to give good prices. I do believe Polish apples can do really well. The Gala and Jonagold are delicious crisp apples, sweet and juicy. These are characteristics that Chinese consumers are looking for. ”
There is a direct rail connection between the cities of Lodz in Poland and Chengdu in Western China. Transport over rail takes two weeks.
