China has landed its first shipments of pears in Chile, with the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture and the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) hosting a ceremony to mark the maiden arrivals.
An official launch event was held on Friday (15 December) at Jumbo supermarket in Santiago, where point-of-sale promotions took place.
The special event was attended by Chile's Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche; the national director of Chilean quarantine body SAG, ángel Sartori; Asoex chairman Ronald Bown; Chile’s Agricultural Attaché in China, Carlos Parra; and representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Chile.
They were joined from the Chinese side by Gavin Fan, vice-president of Chinese exporter Hebei JinZhou Great Wall Economy Trade Co, and Feng Chunguang, a specialist consultant from China Entry & Exit Biosecurity Society (CBS).
As well as celebrating the first shipments of Chinese pears to Chile, the ceremony served to underline the strong diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.
China is Chile’s main trading partner, accounting for more than 20 per cent of the country’s global exports, and in 2017 it became the leading market for Chile’s agriculture and forestry sector, according to Furche.
“Chile has held product launch ceremonies like this in many Chinese cities to promote our products. In foreign trade, there is a basic principle for the commercial relationship to work and that is reciprocity, which means both parties receive benefits. As China grows, the possibilities for Chilean products are unlimited,” said Furche.
Bown said the opening of the Chilean market to Chinese pears was an “act of commercial reciprocity'. “China has opened its market to an assortment of Chilean fresh fruits, and today Chile is one of the principle suppliers of fresh fruit to China,” he said.
“Chile has a very good relationship with China but as their partner we not only want to export – we want to open up the markets on both sides to stimulate bilateral trade. The door is always open in Chile; we more than welcome, and we are keen to facilitate, imports of fruits.”
Asoex is currently negotiating to open the Chinese market to Chilean pears, and Bown expressed hopes that a deal would materialise soon as part of the reciprocity agreement. SAG has already exchanged a protocol proposal starting with pests of quarantine interest for review by Chinese authorities.
The first Chinese pear imports to Chile are made up of traditional, sweet varieties - Crown, Hosui and Ya pears.
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