Governments reach deal to open Chinese market to Belgian apples
Belgian apples will be allowed into China under a newly signed protocol between the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) and China's General Administration of Customs (GACC). The first exports are expected at the earliest next growing season.
The agreement is the result of years of negotiations and was signed during a working visit by the FASFC to China. The protocol lays out the phytosanitary conditions Belgian apples must meet before they can be sold on the Chinese market. One key requirement is that orchards must be registered before exports can begin.
Christine Romeyns, managing director of the FASFC, called the signing "an important and significant step for our fruit sector" and "the result of several years of patient work and dialogue with our Chinese partners." She stressed, however, that the conditions attached are strict, and that it is now up to the fruit sector to meet them.
A "historic" agreement
Federal Agriculture minister David Clarinval welcomed the news unreservedly, describing it as a "historic agreement" and "excellent news for our farmers and our fruit sector."
Clarinval said he had been working with his administration for years to create concrete sales opportunities in China, calling it "a huge market." He congratulated the FASFC and urged the sector "to start preparing now to seize this opportunity."
© BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE
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