California Citrus Mutual vice president Bob Blakely said he received official notification on Friday, and was very pleased that California citrus growers could regain China markets for citrus. China was California's third-largest market until April, 2013.
“There was a delegation that came over and visited the California industry in the first week of July, to see what our industry was doing to satisfy their concerns, and in those meetings the language [of a protocol] was discussed and further refined, and agreements were made in principle,” Blakely said, adding the main concern was phytophthora root rot
He said clearer language was then put in place about how growers wishing to export ought to manage trees and the harvest to make sure the disease was not present in China-bound fruit.
After these agreements were agreed, he highlighted “the way was clear” for a market re-opening and official documents were signed. The first fruit would likely be sent in December, following the Navel harvest which kicks off in November. However, there would be some volumes of Valencia oranges and lemons ready to go now if shippers wished to ship them earlier.
“The market has been re-opened effective yesterday, and we’re very pleased to see this after such a long time out of the market, and that we’ll be able to send citrus again,” Cranney said.
“We’re looking forward to getting back a normal pace of trade with China.”
Millet
(Miscellaneous Fact) $395 billion sold in US agricultural products in 2013. A 33% increase from 2007.
Topic: China Reopens Their Markets To California Oranges (Read 1447 times)