China Releases Phytosanitary Rules for Fresh South African Cherries

On Sept. 22, the General Administration of Customs of China announced via its website that fresh cherries from South Africa meeting the stipulated phytosanitary requirements would be permissible for import into China.

South Africa and Chile are both located in the Southern Hemisphere, with South Africa’s cherry season starting around three weeks earlier than Chile’s. Despite this earlier window, South Africa’s cherry production remains relatively small. Production for the 2025/26 season is forecast at 5,100 metric tons, up 55% from the 3,300 metric tons recorded in 2024/25. Exports are projected to reach 488,000 cartons, representing year-on-year growth of 111%. Meanwhile, the country’s cherry planting area has expanded significantly, from 262 hectares in 2016 to 802 hectares today.

Most South African cherry production is concentrated in the Ceres region of the Western Cape. About 30% of orchards have yet to reach full production, leaving considerable room for further growth as younger trees mature. The opening of the Chinese market comes at a time when a significant number of newly planted orchards are entering commercial-scale production, including those growing varieties such as Cheery Nebula and Cheery Cupid.

The South African cherry industry sees Asia as a strategic growth market, with exports to the region surging by 334% year on year in the 2025/26 season. With access to the Chinese market now secured, South African growers are expected to start with relatively small volumes as they establish a foothold in China.

According to the GACC announcement, a total of six quarantine pests of concern have been identified by China. These include the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), Cape fruit fly (Ceratitis quilicii), Natal fruit fly (Ceratitis rosa), fig wax scale (Ceroplastes rusci), obscure mealybug (Pseudococcus viburni) and the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum.

Orchards intending to export fresh cherries to China must establish and implement good agricultural practices under the supervision of the South African Department of Agriculture and adhere to integrated pest management techniques to prevent or minimize the risk of quarantine pests of concern.

For packing facilities, the processing, packing, storage and shipment of cherries destined for China must be conducted under the supervision of the South African Department of Agriculture or its authorized personnel. During postharvest processing and packing, cherries must undergo washing, sorting and grading to ensure that they are free of live insects, defective fruit, twigs, leaves, soil and other contaminants.

Furthermore, cherries destined for China must undergo cold treatment or fumigation under the supervision of South African authorities or their authorized personnel. The treatment must satisfy one of the following conditions: a pulp core temperature of 1.11 degrees Celsius or below for at least 14 consecutive days, 1.67 degrees Celsius or below for at least 16 consecutive days, or 2.22 degrees Celsius or below for at least 18 consecutive days.

During entry inspection, if the cold treatment is deemed invalid or unsuccessful, the shipment may be subject to on-arrival cold treatment, provided that it can still be carried out in the same container, or it may be returned or destroyed.

Fumigation must be carried out using methyl bromide at a temperature of at least 21.1 degrees Celsius, with a dosage of 32 grams per cubic meter under normal atmospheric pressure for two hours. The fumigant concentration must be maintained at a minimum of 26 grams per cubic meter 30 minutes after treatment begins and 16 grams per cubic meter after two hours.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.