Abrafrutas president Guilherme Coelho expects exports to be underway by the end of the year

Brazilian grapes

The Chinese market could open up for Brazilian table grapes by the end of the year according to the president of Abrafrutas, Guilherme Coelho.

Coelho visited Beijing last week with agriculture minister Carlos Fávaro to take part in the Brazil-China Economic Forum, promoted by trade promotion agency ApexBrasil.

“I am very happy with the opportunities, progress has been great and the partnerships with the entities linked to the sector are essential.,” Coelho said.

“Being here in Beijing, enabled us to take a further step to advance the negotiations that began two years ago for the export of grapes to China. I think that this year we will open the borders and start exporting.

As part of the next stage of the registration and authorisation process, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), the body responsible for supervising and managing the safety of imported and exported foods, will shortly make a virtual visit to a Brazilian grape-producing farm. Previously, it had been agreed to a face-to-face visit, by a group of Chinese, to five farms.

The opening of the Chinese market will have a positive impact on the economy of Pernambuco, where 70 per cent of the grapes exported from Brazil are produced, most of these coming from the San Francisco Valley.