On July 1, the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China issued Announcement No. 55 of 2022 (announcement on the phytosanitary requirements for imported Zimbabwe fresh citrus).
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According to relevant Chinese laws and regulations and the "General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Zimbabwe Land, The Protocol of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water Resources and Rural Development on Phytosanitary Requirements for Zimbabwe Fresh Citrus Exports to China stipulates that, with immediate effect, the import of Zimbabwe fresh citrus that meets the relevant requirements is allowed.
The citrus allowed to enter this time is fresh citrus (hereinafter referred to as "citrus"), including sweet orange, orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, lime.
Citrus orchards and packaging plants exported to China must be registered with the Ministry of Land, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water Resources and Rural Development of the Republic of Zimbabwe (hereinafter referred to as "MLAFWRD"), and controlled by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "GACC") and MLAFWRD co-approved.
The registration information shall include name, address and registration number, so as to accurately trace the origin of the exported goods when they do not meet the relevant provisions of this quarantine requirement.
The registration list should be provided by MLAFWRD to GACC before the export season every year, and GACC will publish the registration list on the official website.
The quarantine pests that China is concerned about include a total of 15 species, including the apple spiny moth, the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the African citrus huanglongbing.
All citrus exported to China must take cold treatment measures. The cold treatment indicators are as follows:
Lemons: 3°C or below (pulp temperature) for 18 consecutive days or more.
Citrus (except lemons): -0.6°C or below (pulp temperature), continuous treatment for 24 days or more.
It must be pre-cooled at -0.6°C for 72 hours before cold treatment. During the cold treatment, if the treatment temperature is higher than -0.3°C for a certain period of time, the treatment should be extended for 8 hours/day accordingly. If the temperature exceeds 0°C, the cold treatment is invalid.
The climate of Zimbabwe, located in the southern hemisphere, is opposite to that of our country, and its citrus production season coincides with the off-season of citrus production in my country.
Off-season supply will effectively ease the tight market demand in my country. At the same time, Zimbabwe is full of sunshine and pleasant temperature, and the unique natural conditions cultivate sweet and juicy citrus.
The deputy head of the third phase of China's aid to Zimbabwe senior agricultural expert group said that Zimbabwe's annual output of citrus is usually less than 200,000 tons, mainly exported to South Africa and European markets, and the previous export volume was only about 30,000 tons.
However, Zimbabwe citrus has a unique taste, and the time to market is different from that of domestic citrus, which can meet a certain Chinese market demand, and compared with other source countries, Zimbabwe citrus has a price advantage, and it will be very popular when exported to China. ■