Technicians, GACC officials and customs representatives visit production facilities plots and packing plants as part of nationwide audit
A Chinese delegation has visited the Argentinian province of Mendoza as part of efforts to advance a phytosanitary agreement that would allow the export stonefruit, particularly plums and peaches, produced in the region.
The delegation included technicians and officials from the International Standards Research Center for Inspection and Quarantine and Technical Regulations (GACC), along with representatives from Shanghai and Shenyang customs.
The visit was part of a nationwide audit that covered various production regions across the country, tailored to the specific characteristics of each area.
In Mendoza, the officials toured model production facilities, visiting production plots and packing plants located in the Uco Valley and the northern oasis. According to a Mendoza government release, the Chinese technicians expressed particular interest in the sanitary processes applied in the province for pest control, as well as in the traceability systems used throughout the entire production process.
Mendoza has already established phytosanitary protocols with China for other products, such as cherries, and also has Mediterranean fruit fly-free status for the departments of the Uco Valley and the Southern Oasis. This sanitary status streamlines trade processes for certain products and provides a comparative advantage for local producers, both in opening new markets and consolidating existing ones.
Gerardo Arribas, head of the Food sector at ProMendoza, emphasised the importance of moving forward with this new agreement.
“It is one of the most important markets in the world, and our products are of high quality,” he said. “For years, we have been working together between the public and private sectors to achieve this goal, which would allow us to reach a market of 1.4 billion people.”
Arribas also noted that opening the Chinese market would generate new business opportunities, especially for dried or processed plums, known as D’Agen plums, which could also be sold as fresh fruit.
“Currently, there are around 2,500 plum and peach producers in Mendoza, of which only 50 export,” he explained. “If this agreement is finalised, it will be necessary to increase production, so the benefit will extend not only to those who currently export, but to the entire sector.”
Armando Brunetti, owner of Mendoza-based stonefruit producer, Brulinda, said it was important to open markets, especially ones as large as China.
“We believe Mendoza has all the potential to supply this market,” Brunetti said. “We showed them peaches, nectarines, and plums being processed. The technicians were able to observe the entire process, from when the produce enters the packing facility, through packaging and cooling, which allows our fruit to be transported thousands of kilometres in perfect condition.”
