Fresh Kazakhstani Peaches and Apricots Granted China Market Access

On Dec. 4, the General Administration of Customs of China announced via its website that fresh peaches and apricots from Kazakhstan meeting the stipulated phytosanitary requirements would be permitted for import. This marks the first time that fresh fruits from Kazakhstan have gained access to the Chinese market.

Kazakhstan leads the agricultural trade among the five Central Asian countries, with China a major buyer of Kazakhstani agricultural products. In recent years, China has imported significant quantities of flaxseeds, sunflower oil, and other types of oilseeds and vegetable oil from the landlocked country. In addition to granting access to Kazakhstani fruits this time, the GACC is reportedly considering lifting current restrictions on Kazakhstani beef, pork and poultry.

According to the GACC announcement for Kazakhstani peaches and apricots, China has identified a total of 11 quarantine pests of concern. These include the codling moth (Cydia pomonella), European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana), peach weevil (Rhynchites bacchus), black peach aphid (Pterochloroides persicae), verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae), fire blight (Erwinia amylovora), plum pox virus, three species of scales (Lepidosaphes malicola, Lepidosaphes ulmi and Rhodococcus turanicus), and the pathogenic fungus Monilinia fructicola.

Orchards intending to export fresh peaches and apricots to China must establish robust quality management and traceability systems under the supervision of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and adhere to good agricultural practices and integrated pest management techniques. Peaches and apricots bound for China must originate from growing regions free from codling moths and European grapevine moths or from orchards that have implemented preventive and control measures to minimize the risk of contamination by these two insects.

Processing operations from sorting all the way to shipping conducted by the packaging plants must be overseen by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture or its authorized agents. During the packaging process, peaches and apricots destined for China must undergo procedures that include the removal of diseased or deformed fruits, as well as sorting, grading and cleaning to ensure the absence of insects, rotten fruits, branches, leaves, roots and soil.

Image: Pixabay

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