China-The world Apple market.

China - A look At The World Apple Market

Apples account for just about half the world’s deciduous fruit tree production. China is a leading apple producer and exported US$698.7 million fresh apples to the world (mostly to Russia and many Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam); However, according to China Customs, in 2008, it imported US$ 44.6 million worth of fresh apples from all sources, up 30.3 percent from the previous calendar year.

These apples hail mainly from Chile and the United States. U.S. apples occupied 38.9 percent, while Chile took the lead with 45.6 percent market share. New Zealand is the third biggest fresh apple exporter to China, followed by Japan.

The data may not reflect the whole market situation. According to industry insiders, direct shipments of Washington apples to China only account for 40 percent of total imports of Washington apples into China. The rest (Washington Gala, Granny Smith and early season Red Delicious), due to a 45-day cold treatment requirement, are transshipped from Hong Kong. Taking this into account, U.S. apples should have more market share than Chilean apples in China’s imported fruit market.

China consumes U.S. apples in the South (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangdong, Foshan, Zhongshan, Changsha, Xiamen and Fuzhou), the North (Beijing, Qingdao, Dalian, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin,) and the East (Shanghai and major cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces coastal areas) This report focuses on the view from the Pearl River Delta because of its strategic importance.