Bananas top the list of China’s most imported fresh produce items in 2016 (by volume), followed by dragon fruit, longan and durian, currently supplied primarily from Vietnam, Thailand and Chile. Grapes supplied primarily by Chile also feature prominently among fresh produce imports, accounting for more than 7 percent share of China’s 2016 imported fresh produce volume.
Here is a list of the top 15 fresh fruit items China imported in 2016 and their volume share of total fresh fruit imports:
Which fruit imports are increasing?
“China's fruit imports have been growing rapidly in the past few years, thanks partly to the nation's growing middle class population and the emergence of a new generation of consumers willing to spend more on healthy food,” according to a Fresh Plaza report.
“In 2014, China imported $5.12 billion worth of fruit, up 23.1 percent year-on-year. This was followed by a 14.7 percent annual increase in 2015, according to a post on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture in February. In 2016, the nation's fruit import volume dropped slightly, falling 1 percent year-on-year to $5.81 billion.”
Avocado and blueberry imports increased significantly in the last five years. Other imported fruit items which have seen growth in the last five years include:
China’s List of Permissible Fruit Imports (AQSIQ)
Some of the growth can be attributed to items gaining approval and market access to China by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
According to The Produce Report, “In 2017, more countries and more products may expect to be allowed to export to China. Brazilian melon, U.S. blueberry and avocado, Mexican bananas, Italian apple, German apple, New Zealand’s avocado, Australian avocado and blueberry, South African avocado and cherry, and Turkish orange are known to be applying for permission to import.”
Read more about the list of AQSIQ-approved fresh fruit imports to China
