The General Administration of Customs has approved the entry of Peruvian pomegranates, which are hitting the market just in time for the peak consumption period of the Spring Festival.

Pomegranate consumption in Peru is low domestically, with most being used for export. In 2024, Peru exported 28,000 tons of pomegranates, with the main export destinations including the Netherlands, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The main production areas for Peruvian pomegranates are in the coastal region of Ica, which accounts for 75% of the national total production, followed by the regions of La Libertad and Arequipa. The export season for Peruvian pomegranates runs from January to June, with the peak export period in February and March, avoiding the Chinese pomegranate production season and coinciding with the consumption peak during festivals such as the Chinese New Year.

The notice shows that the quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side include the South American fruit fly, the Mediterranean fruit fly, the apple codling moth, the new pineapple mealybug, the western flower thrips, and the obscure mealybug. The pomegranate orchards exporting to China should establish and implement Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) under the supervision of Peruvian authorities, and execute integrated pest management (IPM) to avoid or minimize the occurrence of the quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side on pomegranates.

During the processing, pomegranates should undergo washing, sterilization, screening, and grading, removing defective fruits and blowing out the calyx depressions, and ensuring that no insects, mites, rotten fruits, branches, leaves, roots, and soil are present. Pomegranates exported to China should be subjected to pre-export cold treatment or in-transit cold treatment procedures under the supervision of Peruvian officials. The cold treatment indicators should meet one of the following conditions: fruit pulp temperature of 1.11ºC or below for a continuous treatment time of 15 days or more; fruit pulp temperature of 1.67ºC or below for a continuous treatment time of 17 days or more.