Portugal fresh pears granted access, can be shipped to China only after cold treatment

On September 22, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice on the phytosanitary requirements for the import of fresh Portuguese pears, allowing the import of Portuguese fresh pears that meet the relevant requirements.

Rocha pear is the main variety of pears exported by Portugal and Portugal is also the largest producer of Rocha pears in Europe. In 2024, members of the Rocha Pear Producers Association (ANP), which represents about 90% of the national production, harvested approximately 115,000 tons of pears, an increase of 5.7% compared to 2023, but only half of the peak production in 2021. Nearly 60% of Portuguese Rocha pears are exported, mainly to Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Brazil, and Morocco, with Brazil accounting for more than 1/4 of the total exports.

Pears granted access must come from pear-producing areas in mainland Portugal (excluding the Azores and Madeira Islands). The pear orchards, packaging factories, and cold treatment facilities in Portugal must be audited by the Portuguese side and approved and registered by the Chinese side. Before each export season, Portugal must provide a registration list to China, which will be reviewed and approved by China and then published on the General Administration of Customs website.

The quarantine pests of concern to China include 18 species such as pear root aphid, Mediterranean fruit fly, fig wax scale, apple codling moth, and Pseudococcus comstocki. For the Mediterranean fruit fly and apple codling moth, management plans have been formulated for orchards in non-epidemic areas or where effective control measures have been implemented. Monitoring and control plans have also been formulated for pear leaf beetle, lilac downy mildew, and pear fire blight.

During processing and packaging, pears must be sorted, graded, and washed to remove diseased, infested, rotten, deformed fruits, branches, leaves, or other plant residues and soil. Effective measures such as high-pressure air guns or water guns should be used to clean the surface of the fruit to remove scale insects, insect eggs, and pathogenic spores. If necessary, sterilization treatment for lilac downy mildew should be carried out in the packaging factory.

Pears from Mediterranean fruit fly epidemic areas must undergo cold treatment under the supervision of Portuguese or authorized officials, according to the cold treatment operation procedures. The cold treatment indicators must meet one of the following conditions: fruit core temperature of 1.11°C or below for a continuous treatment time of at least 14 days; fruit core temperature of 1.67°C or below for a continuous treatment time of at least 16 days; or fruit core temperature of 2.22°C or below for a continuous treatment time of at least 18 days.

Image source: pixabay 2025 International Fruit and Vegetable Report. All rights reserved. For reprints, please contact the International Fruit and Vegetable Report for permission and credit.