Driscoll's has sent the first air shipment of Mexican blackberries and raspberries, arriving in China on 23 January.
Jenny Fang, vice manager of Shanghai's Huizhan wholesale fruit and vegetable market, toldFruitnetthat the shipment arrived in Shanghai the night of the 23rd, under-going inspection by China'sGeneral Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (Aqsiq).
'Through the hard work of our Mexico growers, production and export teams, we successfully passed CIQ inspection Saturday 11pm, allowing Driscoll's berries toenter China under the protocols signed between China and Mexico,' Jae Chun of Driscoll's China told Fruitnet.
Naturipe has also sent a shipment of blackberries, arriving in Shanghai on 24 January, with commercial shipments to kick off later this week.
'It’s been quite a challenge to prepare for and to meet the protocol requirements, but with the help of Aqsiq and our professional team in Mexico, we are finally ready and shipping our first trial shipment,” said David Smith, operations manager of SVA Fruits, which is a joint venture between San Clemente and Hortifrut, which owns 30 per cent of Naturipe.
“Regarding raspberries, it’s been a cold winter and while we still have nice production, but Chinese consumers are demanding,” Smith told Fruitnet. “As leaders in the international berry industry, we want to make sure we ship the absolute best products that they have ever seen to make the best possible first impression which will not only offer or growers the best results, but also provide the best chances for the market to develop. We expect our product to improve in the coming weeks, so we will be shipping raspberries soon.”
Both Mexican exporters and Chinese importers are optimistic the berries have the potential to sell well, particularly in the lead up to Chinese New Year on 19 February.
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