Mauricio Macri Xi Jiping

Mauricio Macri and Xi Jinping

Improving Chinese access for Argentine fruit will be one of the main issues on the agenda during the official visit of Argentine president Mauricio Macri to China this week.

The South American country is seeking wider market access for a raft of agricultural products including beef, soya, shellfish and fruits and vegetables.

As well as officially signing the import protocol for table grapes, Macri hopes to make progress on the working plan between AQSIQ and Senasa for the establishment of import protocols for blueberries and cherries.

Argentina has been named the country of honour at the upcoming SIAL China 2017, Asia’s largest food innovation exhibition, which is being held this week in Shanghai. Fruits and vegetables will be among the products on display at Argentina’s 400m2 stand under the slogan under the “Grown by nature, manufactured by us”.

According to a USDA report, Chinese imports of table grapes are projected to rise by 20 per cent to 300,000 tonnes in 2016/17. Chile, Peru and the US are the top suppliers.