US sales to China continue to be impeded by phytosanitary issues, with Washington apple growers the recipients of most of the pain.
The state’s industry has seen its shipments to the mainland plunge from approximately 800,000 cartons (19kg) during the 2009/10 season (September-August) to a mere 22,000 last year.
A resolution to the impasse does not appear likely anytime soon: Chinese plant quarantine continues to add new conditions for apple imports, which the Washington industry feels are impossible to meet.
With California citrus also on the banned list, US produce exports to China are expected to decline even further during 2014. One of the few positive notes during 2013 was US pears, which finally gained market access to China in 2013 after more than a decade of negotiations.
A bright spot for US exporters in Asia, though, is Vietnam. Steadily evolving into a capitalist economy, the Vietnamese appear to be developing a taste for US table grapes, apples and walnuts.
While at first glance shipments of Washington apples appear particularly impressive – up 24 per cent to nearly 700,000 cartons during the 2012/13 – their volume may be artificially boosted by re-exports to China.
According to FAS data, US apple exports to Vietnam suspiciously surged by 123 per cent – just in advance of the Lunar New Year holidays.
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