Italian kiwifruit exporters will no doubt be raising a glass of Christmas bubbly to the Italian authorities after they confirmed that access to the South Korean market has been given the green light.
The news, revealed by marketing and research group CSO, follows a visit by Korean inspectors to Italian kiwifruit orchards and packing facilities in Veneto and Emilia Romagna during the first week of December.
A number of leading producer organisations hosted the inspectors on their recent visit, including Apofruit, Cofruta, Ceradini and Frutteto.
Securing market access for Italian kiwifruit to the Asian country has been very much a joint effort between exporters and industry bodies such as Fruitimprese and CSO, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and export promotion body ICE.
According to CSO, the inspectors remarked on the excellent level of organisation they witnessed in Italy's kiwifruit industry, concurring that packhouses and production areas all conformed to the standards required by each of the two countries.
Provisional agreement has also been reached in terms of the cold treatment process that will need to take place following harvesting and packing.
It is understood that this will be carried out in transit by Korean inspectors for the remainder of the 2018/19 season, although in subsequent seasons it could potentially take place in coldstorage centres.
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