Zero tariffs! Zimbabwe blueberries gain customs access

On September 22, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice on the phytosanitary requirements for the import of fresh food blueberries from Zimbabwe, allowing the import of fresh food blueberries from Zimbabwe that meet the relevant requirements.

In June of this year, China announced that it would implement a 100% tariff-free measure for products from 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, and Zimbabwe blueberries will also receive tariff-free treatment. Zimbabwe began small-scale blueberry cultivation in 2008 and achieved its first blueberry export in 2017. The blueberry harvest season runs from April to October, with 60% of blueberries harvested between August and October, complementing the domestic blueberry season. Since 2018, Zimbabwe's blueberry exports have increased tenfold, with the main markets being the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East.

The notice stipulates that blueberry orchards, packaging plants, and quarantine treatment facilities in Zimbabwe must be reviewed by the Zimbabwean side and approved and registered by the Chinese side. The registration list should be provided by Zimbabwe to China before each export season.

The quarantine pests of concern to China include the Mediterranean fruit fly, the mango seed fly, the African wax scale, the long-tailed mealybug, and the obscure mealybug. During the packaging process, blueberries must be sorted, picked, and graded to ensure they are free from insects, mites, rotten fruit, and branches, leaves, roots, and soil, ensuring that the blueberries do not carry the quarantine pests of concern to China. Packaged blueberries that need to be stored should be immediately placed in storage and kept separately to avoid re-infection by harmful organisms.

Blueberries exported to China should be cold-treated or fumigated under the supervision of the Zimbabwean side or its authorized personnel to eliminate fruit flies. Cold treatment should be carried out according to the cold treatment operation procedure before export or the cold treatment operation procedure during transport and the supplementary requirements for cold treatment during transport through a third country. The cold treatment index requirements must meet one of the following conditions: 1. 11°C or below (fruit flesh temperature) for continuous treatment of 15 days or more; 6.7°C or below (fruit flesh temperature) for continuous treatment of 17 days or more; or 2.22°C or below (fruit flesh temperature) for continuous treatment of 21 days or more.

Blueberries exported to China by air should be fumigated with methyl bromide by authorized personnel from Zimbabwe before shipment. The fumigation treatment index is as follows: temperature above 21.1°C, fumigant dosage of 32 g/m3, fumigation duration at standard pressure not less than 2 hours; and during fumigation, the minimum concentration must be not less than 26 g/m3 after 0.5 hours and not less than 16 g/m3 after 2 hours.

Image source: New Zimbabwe2025 International Fruit and Vegetable Report. All rights reserved. For reprint permission, please contact the International Fruit and Vegetable Report and credit the source.