- Fresh Italian kiwifruit will be exported to China by refrigerated cargo ship.
- Italy is one of the world’s prominent producers of kiwifruit, with the annual season running from November to May.
Italian Kiwifruit May Now Be Exported to China by Reefer Ship, says Produce Reports.
Italian Kiwifruit
Italy is one of the world’s major producers of kiwi fruit with the annual season running from November to May. But China is not one of Italy’s main kiwifruit export markets.
The annual export quantities of kiwifruit from Italy to China have been running at around 6,000 to 7,000 metric tons.
Zespri is known to use chartered reefer vessels to ship some of this volume.
The export of Italian kiwifruit to China in refrigerated containers was already authorized, but the new restrictions open up a new perspective of means of transport that makes use of specialised vessels for carrying refrigerated cargo and constructed especially for hauling perishable goods.
Procedure
The General Administration of Customs of China comprised in its Chinese-language announcement several provisions for this mode of shipping.
The kiwifruit to be ferried, cannot be emptied before the shipment enters its designated port in China. Likewise, pest alleviation standards encompass a prerequisite that unless the fruit in the shipment is packaged in tight bags or fine mesh, each pallet must be fastened in a mesh film with holes of less than 1.6 millimetres.
The kiwifruit must also endure cold treatment, which can be conducted before shipment or during transit. At the entry, the shipper must provide a cold treatment report for each hold.
If the GACC deduces that the cold treatment was not sufficiently attained for a particular hold, it may agree to return or destroy the fruit or compel it to go through another round of cold treatment.
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Source: Produce Reports
