Chinese inspectors visit melon farms in Brazil’s two largest producing states

Between January 12th and 17th, inspectors from the GACC, China’s General Customs Administration, inspected melon producing farms in Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará. The Chinese organization deals with plant and animal health issues and visited Brazil’s two largest melon producing states.

The inspections are a result of the trade agreement reached in November between Brazil and China which sees Brazilian exports of melons exchanged for imports of Chinese pears. It was at the BRICS summit in Brasilia a few months ago that the health protocols were signed between Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Xi Jinping. The purpose of the inspection was to check the plantations are free of fruit flies.

In addition to the farms, the Chinese group visited packing houses and laboratories. They were accompanied by representatives from the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Ministry (Mapa), the Agricultural Defense Agency of the State of Ceará (Adagri) and the Agricultural Defense and Inspection Institute of Rio Grande do Norte.

Reports suggest that the Chinese delegation appeared satisfied after the inspection and, therefore, it is hoped that Brazil will soon start exporting melons to China, the world’s largest market for that particular fruit. In 2017 it consumed about half of all global production, equivalent to 17 million tons in 2017. If Brazil were to capture a market share of just 1% it’s melon exports would double.

In 2018, Brazil exported around 200,000 tons of melon to several countries, such as the United States, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia and the European Union. The Brazilian harvest coincides with the off-season in China.

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