China Releases Phytosanitary Rules for Fresh South African Stone Fruit

On Nov. 14, the General Administration of Customs of China published via its website the phytosanitary requirements for five types of fresh stone fruit from South Africa, namely, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and European plums (Prunus domestica, also known as sugar plums on the Chinese market).

The market access protocol for South African stone fruit was signed on Oct. 15. Once China Customs updates its list of approved South African exporters, shipments are expected to catch the 2026 Chinese New Year sales window. South Africa’s next goal is to secure market access for its fresh cherries and blueberries, with the corresponding negotiations scheduled to conclude in 2026.

According to industry sources, South Africa has approximately 16,000 hectares planted with stone fruit. The export season runs from October to March or April, aligning with China’s winter and spring seasons and providing off-season supply to meet market demand. Owing to favorable weather conditions during the flowering period, most production regions have achieved excellent fruit set and fruit quality this season.

For the 2025/26 season, South Africa’s fresh peach export volume is expected to increase by 3%, reaching 1.94 million cartons (2.5-kilogram equivalent). Meanwhile, fresh nectarine exports (mainly yellow-fleshed nectarines) are forecast to rise by 18% to 12.26 million cartons (2.5-kilogram equivalent), and fresh apricot exports are estimated to decrease by 3% to 720,000 cartons (4.75-kilogram equivalent). Finally, fresh plum exports are projected to grow by 2% to 15.10 million cartons (5.25-kilogram equivalent).

According to the GACC announcement, a total of 15 quarantine pests of concern have been identified by China. These include the false codling moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta), Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), mango fruit fly (Ceratitis cosyra), five-spotted fruit fly (Ceratitis quinaria), Cape fruit fly (Ceratitis quilicii), Natal fruit fly (Ceratitis rosa), codling moth (Cydia pomonella), South African carnation tortrix (Epichoristodes acerbella), apple leafroller (Lozotaenia capensana), gray scale (Diaspidiotus africanus), long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus), cotton thrip (Frankliniella schultzei), black peach aphid (Brachycaudus persicae), the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and plum viroid I (Apscaviroid latenspruni).

Orchards intending to export fresh stone fruit to China must establish robust quality management and traceability systems under the supervision of the South African Department of Agriculture and adhere to good agricultural practices and integrated pest management techniques.

During the packaging process, stone fruit destined for China must undergo procedures such as sorting and grading and the removal of damaged fruits to ensure that shipments are free from insects, defective fruits, branches, leaves and soil. To address fruit flies and false codling moths, cold treatment or fumigation must be carried out under the supervision of the South African Department of Agriculture or its authorized agents.

The cold treatment must follow established protocols and maintain a pulp core temperature of −0.6 degrees Celsius or below for at least 22 consecutive days. Fumigation must be conducted at a temperature above 21.1 degrees Celsius with a fumigant dosage of 32 grams per cubic meter under normal pressure for no less than two hours, with the minimum concentration during the fumigation period maintained above 26 grams per cubic meter after 30 minutes and above 16 grams per cubic meter after two hours.

Image: Pixabay

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