Chile can become a 'strategic partner' to China as walnut supplier - FreshFruitPortal.com

Chile can become a 'strategic partner' to China as walnut supplier

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Chile can become a 'strategic partner' to China as walnut supplier

Chile's walnut industry has great expectations for its future role as a supplier to the Chinese market, following the signing of protocols allowing imports of the nut.Ā Shelled walnut small

The South American nation hopes the development will eventually lead to it becoming an important walnut supplier to China.

Chilean Walnut Commission president Andres Rodriguez told www.freshfruitportal.com the protocol permitting export of shelled walnuts was very much 'the first step'.

"It's the first in the sense that it is only for export of shelled walnuts, and the vast majority of Chinese imports are in-shell walnuts," Rodriguez said.

China imports some 150,000 metric tons (MT) of walnuts annually, of which no more than 10% are shelled.

Rodriguez added Chile was able to negotiate the protocols for the product very quickly because China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) treated shelled walnuts as a processed food item.

"We have to be aware that shelled walnuts still definitely make up a low overall percentage of what we could potentially export to China," he said, adding that creating a protocol to export in-shell walnuts to China was very high on Chile's priorities list of products to negotiate with the Asian country.

"We need to continue making progress in these negotiations. I believe that we'll have to wait a few more years for it to come into effect.

"As an association, we are working very closely with the Agricultural and Livestock Service [SAG] and the Ministry of Agriculture to create the protocols as soon as possible."

Rodriguez said he believed Chile 'had everything' to be able to become a impportant partner Ā to China as a walnut supplier.

"Nowadays, although China is the biggest walnut producer - around 700,000MT - it is also the world's largest importer, and that has been growing for some time," he said.

He added Chile was also increasing its production volumes, and enjoyed a free trade agreement with China.

"Everything indicates that we, in the short-term, should be able to become a strategic partner for China in the export of walnuts," Rodriguez said.

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