On August 31, the General Administration of Customs (GACC) announced that the import of fresh citrus from Iran will be allowed from now on, marking the first time that fresh fruit from Iran has been allowed by the GACC.
The allowed citrous fruits include oranges, tangerines and sweet lemons. All citrus orchards, packing plants and cold treatment facilities for export to China shall be reviewed and filed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran (MAJ) and jointly approved and registered by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) and MAJ.
According to the announcement, China is concerned about a total of 10 quarantine pests, including Bemisia giffardi, Ceratitis capitata, Ceroplastes rusci and Ectomyelois ceratoniae .,etc. If Ectomyelois ceratoniae is found during monitoring or cutting inspection, citrus from relevant orchards shall not be exported to China this export season.
All citrus exported to China should be treated with cold treatment, in which lemon should be treated at 3°C or below for 18 days or more. Oranges and tangerines should be treated at 1.11°C or below for 14 consecutive days or more; Or 1.67°C or less for 16 consecutive days or more; Or 2.22°C or less for 18 consecutive days or more. The temperature required for the above cold treatment is pulp temperature.
If the cold treatment is found invalid during the entry inspection, the citrus will be cold treated at the entry port, otherwise the citrus will be returned or destroyed. If Ectomyelois ceratoniae, Ceratitis capitata or other quarantinable pests of concern to the Chinese side or new quarantinable pests are found alive, the citrus will be returned, destroyed or quarantinable.
Iran ranks first in the Middle East and North Africa in fruit production, mainly producing walnuts, melons, citrus, kiwis, dates, cherries, pomegranates and other fruits. Iran's annual production of citrus is currently around 5.5 million tons, with exports totalling $15.2 million in 2020. The main export destinations are Azerbaijan, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kazakhstan.
Iran has seen a surge in agricultural exports as it seeks to tap trade revenues since its crude oil exports were sanctioned by the United States in 2018. In July this year, China and Iran signed an agreement on exports of Iranian oranges and honey to China. Iran currently exports about $500,000 worth of agricultural products to China each year, and access to citrus is expected to boost Iran's agricultural exports to China.
