Fresh Chinese Pomelos Granted Market Access to New Zealand

On July 28, the General Administration of Customs of China issued an announcement regarding the phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh pomelos from China to New Zealand.

Both the value and volume of China’s fruit exports have been growing significantly in recent years. In 2024, China exported a total of 191,000 metric tons of grapefruits and pomelos, making them the fifth most exported fruit category after apples, citrus, pears and table grapes. Major export destinations include the European Union, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Canada, the United States, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Kazakhstan. As of now, the GACC has not published to its official website the list of registered orchards and packing facilities approved for pomelo exports to New Zealand. Once enterprises complete the registration process and receive official approval, exports will formally begin.

New Zealand has identified a total of 12 quarantine pests of concern. These include the pathogenic fungus Phyllosticta citricarpa, Anthurium thrip (Chaetanaphothrips orchidii), Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), spherical mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis), Japanese mealybug (Planococcus kraunhiae), chilli thrip (Scirtothrips dorsalis), kanzawa spider mite (Tetranychus kanzawai), guava fruit fly (Bactrocera correcta), oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), melon fruit fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae), pumpkin fruit fly (Zeugodacus tau) and Chinese citrus fly (Bactrocera minax).

To effectively control fruit flies, all pomelos must be bagged on the tree using double-layer paper bags, with the process completed at least 60 days prior to harvest. The condition of the bagging must be monitored during routine orchard inspections. Fruit bags must remain intact on the pomelos and may only be removed at the packing facility. Any fruit with damaged or broken bags, whether in the orchard or at the packing facility, must be removed and are not eligible for export to New Zealand.

If export shipments do not meet the requirements of the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, they may undergo retreatment or re-sorting to remove pests followed by re-inspection. Products that still fail to meet the requirements are not allowed to be imported into New Zealand.

Image: Pixabay

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