Inspectors from China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) have embarked on a tour of five Spanish regions aiming to export stonefruit to the East Asian nation.

Peaches and plums are the specific products in question, and the Chinese representatives have planned to visit operations in Murcia, Andalusía, Extremadura, Catalonia and Aragón until August 8.

In a release, Murcia Ministry of Agriculture and Water's General Director Ángel García Lidón highlighted that opening the Chinese market was currently a priority for Spanish fruit and vegetable exporters.

"After years of negotiation, this year citrus has been exported from Murcia with great success," García Lidón said.

The delegation has already visited fruit fields and warehouses in the Murcian areas of Jumilla and Abarán, to test the industry's phytosanitary controls and traceability systems firsthand, in order to avoid the introduction of pests or diseases should China open its doors.

In addition to stonefruit orchards, the inspecetors have also visited table grape operations with the goal of starting the opening process for that fruit as well.

The director added that the autonomous community of Murcia exported €2.26 billion (US$3.3 billion) worth of fruit and vegetables last year, representing around one fifth of the national total.

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