Beijing, China - 8 November 2014
In 2007, Canada submitted a formal request seeking market access to the Chinese market for fresh cherries from British Columbia (B.C.). In June 2013, China’s Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency initialled a Phytosanitary Arrangement for trial shipments. Canada and China both consider the two-year cherry pilot to have been very successful and have reached agreement on the final Phytosanitary Arrangement for B.C. cherries, which reflects the successful completion of the 2013 and 2014 trial periods. The Arrangement, which was signed by Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Gerry Ritz and China’s Minister of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Shuping Zhi enters into force immediately. It marks the normalization of cherry exports from B.C. to China, valued by industry at $20 million annually.
The Phytosanitary Arrangement is based on pest risk analysis and the results of the pilot program. It specifies requirements for registering cherry packing houses and cherry orchards, orchard management (crop monitoring and control for specific pests); packaging and labelling; CFIA inspection and export certification; and response to non-compliance. The Phytosanitary Arrangement also describes import and quarantine procedures that take place when a consignment arrives at a port in China and the provision for China to audit the cherry export program in Canada every five years.
B.C. is the number one producer of sweet cherries in Canada, accounting for almost 89 per cent of the planted acreage of the total sweet cherry production. B.C.'s marketed production of sweet cherries was 10,906 metric tons in 2013, with a farm gate value of almost $42 million. This represents 95 per cent of production in Canada and over 95 per cent of the national sweet cherry crop farm gate value.
The two sides also agreed to sign the cooperative arrangement of intent to develop mutually agreeable phytosanitary conditions for export of fresh blueberries to China.
In 2013, Canada as a whole exported $40.9 million worth of fresh cherries. B.C. was responsible for almost 99 per cent of these exports, totalling $40.4 million. Hong Kong, the United States (U.S.), Taiwan, China and the United Kingdom are our top five export markets. Of the top 10 markets for B.C. cherry exports, three are in Europe and another six are in Asia, with the U.S. completing the group. Exports have experienced significant growth since 2006, when B.C. exported $18.3 million worth of cherries. That number has more than doubled in 2013.
