Chile and China renewed the agreements regarding the requirements to transport fresh fruits in ship cold storage chambers, and the opening of the Chinese market to hazelnuts without shells and national poultry products, during the official visit of the Minister of Customs of the People's Republic of China, Ni Yuefeng, to Chile.
"We had the opportunity to ratify the work schedule to allow the entry of Chilean European pears into China. We also opened the Chinese market for all Chilean apiculture products, and signed the entry for Chilean European hazelnut trees, of which Chile has more than 23,000 hectares. Additionally, we also sign an electronic certification agreement that will speed up our exports. We also signed an agreement so that our fruits can travel in cargo cellars and not only in containers. We also advanced in the negotiations for the entry of our frozen fruits and our citrus fruits to China, which should take place once we conclude the agreement for the entry of our pears into China. The start of negotiations for the entry of our citrus is, without a doubt, great news. We hope to consolidate it in less than a year," stated the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker.
Meanwhile, the president of ASOEX, Ronald Bown, said the agreements represent the culmination of a work in which Asoex was closely involved from the beginning of the negotiations, together with the authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural and Livestock Service. "We will be able to start negotiating the opening of the Chinese market for our citrus fruits, which will be negotiated as a group. The China-Hong Kong market had the biggest increase in the reception of our exports during the 2017-2018 season. The shipments of fresh Chilean fruits increased by 45% in relation to the previous period and amounted to more than 390 thousand tons, which will be complemented with the income of our pears, and our citrus in the near future," he said.
The main species sent during 2017-2018 were cherries with 161,508 tons, which accounted for 41% of all fruit exports to that market; table grapes with 119,271 tons, i.e. 31% of the total, plums with 41,319 tons (11%), and nectarines with 16,833 tons, or 4% of the total.
The promotion of cherries
Over the weekend, the Minister of Customs, Ni Yuefeng, toured the cherry orchards and packing of the Lo Garces Agricultural Society in San Francisco de Mostazal, as well as the Agrosuper white meat processing plant in Rosario. Yuefeng was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, Antonio Walker, and union representatives, such as the President of Asoex, Ronald Bown.
"This visit allowed us to show the good work that the SAG carries out to ensure that the Chilean products have a high quality and safety and, in summary, are reliable products," said the national director of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), Horacio Borquez.
