For the past four weeks, the China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) has been detaining all US fruit shipments for seven days upon arrival into China to test for pesticide residues. However, as of yesterday inspections of new arrivals into Beijing and Shanghai Pudong are being released the same day according to several Chinese produce importers.
Smooth inspection process
A California cherry grower-shipper commented that his first shipment of Chelan cherries arrived in China and was received. “The inspection by CIQ went smoothly and the receiving party saw the fruit a few hours later,” he said. This is very good news for California cherry growers who are in peak season and heavily rely on exports to China.
In case any viruses are found upon arrival, fruit may still be detained for up to seven days for further testing. This issue is expected to be fully resolved by the time Washington state starts shipping cherries in the first week of June.
15 percent tariff removed?
On April 2nd of this year, China implemented a 15 percent tariff on a range of US produce items, including fruits and nuts. “With California’s lower cherry volumes, the price per pound is already high and adding a 15 percent tariff as well as tax, has resulted in cherries becoming very expensive and even more exclusive,” the cherry grower-shipper said. After Chinese and US officials met this past weekend, there are talks of the 15 percent tariff being removed. This is supposed to be subject of discussion in a trade meeting next week.
All in all, officials’ attitudes seem to have changed 180 degrees just in the past week