China’s 2022 Fruit Import and Export Statistics Released

According to a recently released report from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products, China’s fruit imports continued an upward trend in 2022 despite it being the toughest year for the fruit trade since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, China imported 7.33 million metric tons or $14.6 billion worth of fruit, representing year-on-year (YOY) increases of 4% and 8%, respectively. By contrast, China witnessed its fruit exports drop further in 2022, making it the third consecutive year of declines. In 2022, China’s fruit exports shrank by 8% and 15% in volume and value, respectively, compared with 2021, with figures reaching 3.26 million metric tons and $4.6 billion.

Imports

In descending order of import value, the top-performing fruit categories were fresh durians, fresh cherries, bananas, mangosteens and coconuts, while bananas, coconuts, fresh durians, fresh dragon fruit and fresh longans were the top five by volume.

The top 10 fruit exporters to China in 2022 by export value were Thailand ($6.28 billion, −3.8% YOY), Chile ($3.35 billion, +40.8% YOY), Vietnam ($1.27 billion, +42.7% YOY), the Philippines ($0.67 billion, +3.1% YOY), New Zealand ($0.63 billion, −1.6% YOY), Peru ($0.57 billion, +39% YOY), South Africa ($0.26 billion, +4% YOY), Cambodia ($0.25 billion, +19% YOY), Australia ($0.21 billion, −32.3% YOY) and Indonesia ($0.21 billion, +0% YOY). It is noteworthy that Thailand has now remained at the top spot for four consecutive years.

Fresh durians

Imports of fresh durians in 2022 totaled 825,000 metric tons (+0% YOY) or $4.03 billion (−4% YOY), of which 780,000 metric tons (−4.6% YOY) or $3.85 billion (−8.5% YOY) originated from Thailand. Vietnamese durians gained official market access to China in July 2022. China’s durian imports from Vietnam in 2022 reached 41,000 metric tons with a value of $190 million. The share of Vietnamese durians on the Chinese market is expected to expand further in the years to come.

Fresh cherries

In 2022, 367,000 metric tons (+17% YOY) of fresh cherries valued at $2.77 billion (+39% YOY) were imported into China. Chile still dominated China’s fresh cherry market, having exported 358,000 metric tons (+19.3% YOY) or $2.67 billion (+42.8% YOY) worth of fresh cherries to China in 2022.

Bananas

China’s imports of bananas in 2022 reached a volume of 1.81 million metric tons (−3% YOY) and a value of $1.16 billion (+12% YOY). During the year, bananas from the Philippines (725,000 metric tons, −14.7% YOY), Vietnam (469,000 metric tons, +32.5% YOY), Cambodia (337,000 metric tons, −6.1% YOY) and Ecuador (200,000 metric tons, −7.4% YOY) contributed a combined volume of 1.73 million metric tons, accounting for 95.6% of the total exports by volume.

Mangosteens

The import figures for mangosteens stood at 209,000 metric tons (−16% YOY) and $630 million (−18% YOY). As the main mangosteen supplier to China, Thailand exported 183,000 metric tons (−20% YOY) or $550 million (−22% YOY) worth of the fruit to China in 2022.

Coconuts

In 2022, China’s coconut imports reached 1.07 million metric tons (+23% YOY) in volume and $570 million (+26% YOY) in value. The vast majority of these imports originated from Thailand (523,000 metric tons, +56.6% YOY), Indonesia (322,000 metric tons, −15.8% YOY) and Vietnam (221,000 metric tons, +68.7% YOY).

Fresh dragon fruit

China’s fresh dragon fruit imports totaled 568,000 metric tons (−3% YOY) and $510 million (−3% YOY) in 2022, with fruits from Vietnam still accounting for the majority.

Exports

China’s top exported fruit categories in 2022 were fresh apples, fresh table grapes, citrus (including mandarins and satsumas), fresh pears and grapefruit. The top 10 overseas markets for Chinese fruit in terms of export value were Vietnam ($1.19 billion, −21.4% YOY), Thailand ($0.67 billion, −8.7% YOY), Indonesia ($0.56 billion, −10.1% YOY), Hong Kong ($0.4 billion, −2.9% YOY), the Philippines ($0.31 billion, −38.9% YOY), Malaysia ($0.21 billion, −15.7% YOY), Russia ($0.18 billion, +200% YOY), Bangladesh ($0.18 billion, −35.9% YOY), the United States ($0.17 billion, +18.9% YOY) and Japan ($0.1 billion, −2.9% YOY).

Fresh apples

China’s apple production fell by 15–20% in 2022. This short supply made apple prices hover at high levels during the entire year, resulting in a drop in exports owing to the sensitivity of most overseas markets for Chinese apples to price increases. In 2022, China exported 823,000 metric tons (−24% YOY) or $1.04 billion (−27% YOY) worth of fresh apples, with the main export destinations being Indonesia (156,000 metric tons, −2.5% YOY), Vietnam (145,000 metric tons, −19.9% YOY), Bangladesh (116,000 metric tons, −35.6% YOY), Thailand (115,000 metric tons, −16.7% YOY) and the Philippines (107,000 metric tons, −33.5% YOY). It is worth mentioning that China’s 2022 fresh apple export volume dipped to the lowest level against a 10-year background.

Fresh table grapes

China’s table grape exports in 2022 hit 377,000 metric tons (+8% YOY), with a value of $0.73 billion (−4% YOY). The main overseas markets were concentrated in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand (110,000 metric tons, +26.4% YOY), Vietnam (101,000 metric tons, +46.4% YOY), Indonesia (66,000 metric tons, +8.2% YOY) and the Philippines (36,000 metric tons, −33.3% YOY), along with nearby Bangladesh (25,000 metric tons, −39% YOY).

Citrus (including mandarins and satsumas)

China’s citrus exports fell to a volume of 589,000 metric tons (−12% YOY) and a value of $0.72 billion (−29% YOY) in 2022. The main export destinations were Vietnam (191,000 metric tons, −26.8% YOY), Indonesia (81,000 metric tons, +26.6% YOY), Thailand (64,000 metric tons, −26.4% YOY), Malaysia (63,000 metric tons, +1.6% YOY) and the Philippines (52,000 metric tons, −33.3% YOY).

Fresh pears

In 2022, China exported 440,000 metric tons (−13% YOY) or $0.5 billion (−18% YOY) worth of fresh pears. The main overseas markets for Chinese pears included Indonesia (161,000 metric tons, −26.5% YOY), Vietnam (92,000 metric tons, +1.1% YOY), Thailand (46,000 metric tons, −16.4% YOY), Hong Kong (30,000 metric tons, +0% YOY), Malaysia (26,000 metric tons, −7.1% YOY) and the Philippines (17,000 metric tons, −26.1% YOY).

Grapefruit

The export figures for Chinese grapefruit witnessed substantial increases in both volume and value in 2022, hitting 138,000 metric tons (+26% YOY) and $0.12 billion (+27% YOY). The main export destinations included the Netherlands (47,900 metric tons, +11.1% YOY), Russia (33,500 metric tons, +33,400% YOY), Kyrgyzstan (7,400 metric tons, +2.8% YOY), Romania (7,100 metric tons, +4.4% YOY) and Hong Kong (5,200 metric tons, −8.8% YOY).

Image: Pixabay

This article was based on a Chinese article. Read the original article.