On January 16, a delegation from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) visited the Jiangnonghui Fruit Wholesale Market in Guangzhou to promote trade and facilitate cooperation between Chinese importers and Chilean exporters. The delegation was led by Iván Marambio, President of ASOEX, with other delegates such as Claudia Soler, Executive Director of the ASOEX Chilean Cherries Committee, Charif Christian Carvajal, ASOEX Marketing Director for Europe and Asia, Héctor Zhang, Marketing Manager of ASOEX for China, and Freya Huang, marketing coordinator of ASOEX for China.

Guangzhou Jiangnonghui Fruit Wholesale Market plays a key role as a receiving and trading center for Chilean fruits such as cherries, blueberries, and prunes, as well as distributing fruits to retailers and secondary markets in China. The sales volume of chilean cherries on the market this season is approximately 250 containers per day.

Images: ASOEX

During the visit, the delegation met with Zheng Nanshan, general manager of Jiangnonghui Wholesale Market. At the meeting, both sides agreed to deepen cooperation and promote the distribution of Chilean fruits, especially in China's lower-tier cities. Subsequently, ASOEX organized a Chilean fruit networking lunch for representatives of the main importers and exporters in China.

Although the last two seasons were affected by the epidemic and the domestic market has faced challenges, the Jiangnonghui market has continued to make solid progress in promoting Chilean fruit in China. During lunch, ASOEX recognized the market as an important partner for the distribution of Chilean fruits in China.

Logistics, storage, and customs clearance are key components of the imported fruit supply chain. On January 17, members of the delegation visited Nansha Port in Guangzhou, which is China's main port for the import of Chilean cherries and has served as a “Cherry Express” port for four consecutive years. During this time, the volume of Chilean cherries entering the port has grown by almost 300% year over year.

On December 22, 2022, the Nansha Port received the first of 11 Cherry Express shipments this season. This season also marked the inaugural cooperation with Maersk Group. By the end of the season, the Nansha port is expected to have directly received more than 5500 containers of fresh cherries for distribution to neighboring cities and an estimated 100 million consumers.

Images: ASOEX

To ensure the freshness of Chilean cherries, the Port of Nansha has cooperated with ASOEX to optimize unloading and customs clearance processes. After unloading from the container ships, the cherries are transported by truck to a refrigerated warehouse at the Nansha Container Terminal for comprehensive inspection service. From there, the cherries can be transported to the Jiangnonghui market and, in some cases, available for trade in less than two hours.

During the visit to the Nansha Port, the delegation members met with Xie Xiaohui, vice president of the CPPCC Nansha District and director of the District Commerce Office, as well as senior representatives of the port administration. During the meeting, the two sides discussed opportunities to further increase consumer demand for Chilean fruits, as well as cooperation in planning the future development of the port and optimizing the efficiency of local logistics. Both sides agreed to explore the opportunity to facilitate the signing of a "Mutual Friendship Agreement" between Nansha and a city in Chile to establish friendly port relations and pave the way for further growth of the Chilean fresh fruit trade in China.

Images: ASOEX