Many Australian fruits have obtained permission to enter the Chinese market since China and Australia signed a free trade agreement. The new list of allowed fruits includes stone fruits such as peaches, apricots, and plums. The Australian stone fruit season begins every year in October and continues into April in the subsequent year. The Chinese stone fruit season begins every year in May and continues until October. The Australian and Chinese stone fruit seasons perfectly complement each other. Relevant data shows that Australian nectarines account for more than 40% of the Australian stone fruit export volume, and plums account for about 30%.
The Chinese import season of Australian plums is in full swing at the moment. The plums first arrived by air freight earlier in the season, but sea freight has now taken over. Although China is a large plum producer and the production areas are widely distributed, the earliest plums from Yunnan only enter the market in March. Not only is Australia able to supply in the off-season, but Australia also excels in terms of product variety and plantation technology. That is why Australian plums are so popular in the Chinese market.
"According to our data, Australian plums dominate the Chinese import plum market. Trade conditions are quite stable and price fluctuations remain within reasonable margins. However, looking at customs clearance and transport shows that the Chinese import volume of Australian plums slightly declined in comparison with last year." This is according to Marco Liang, manager at Shenzhen City Jiancheng Industry International Transport Agency Co., Ltd.
According to manager Liang, "In addition to Australian plums, the Chinese import market also welcomes Chilean cherries. The period leading up to Chinese Spring Festival [12 February,2021] is one of the peak sales periods in the Chinese fruit market. In addition, the price of imported Australian plums is coming down because larger supply volumes arrive by sea freight. That is why the current market demand and import volumes are larger than last year." When asked about the impact of Covid-19 in overseas production areas, in particular the 'cherry incident' with imported Chilean cherries, manager Liang replied, "additional tests and additional quarantine measures will add to the cost price and will increase the risks involved in import and export. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the market."
For more information:
Marco Liang - Manager
Shenzhen City Jiancheng Industry International Transport Agency Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 198 6698 9959