National delegation with authorities and officials of the MAFF of Japan
In order to prepare the next fruit export season 2024-2025, as well as advance the entry of new Chilean fruits, since last week the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and Frutas de Chile have been holding a series of meetings with the phytosanitary authorities of Japan and Korea. Agenda that, starting this week, also includes China.
The delegation is headed by the national director of the SAG, José Guajardo, together with the professionals of this service Marco Muñoz, head of the Agricultural-Forest and Seed Protection Division and Esteban Canales, head of the Department of Livestock Safety and Certification, in addition to Rodrigo Castañón, business manager of ChileCarne and Rafael Lecaros, general manager of Faenacar and the general manager of Frutas de Chile, Miguel Canala-Echeverría. Likewise, the Chilean ambassadors in Japan and South Korea, Ricardo Rojas and Mathias Francke, respectively, participated, as well as the agricultural and commercial attaché of our country in Japan, Nury Disegni Gili and José Miguel Sepúlveda, agricultural attaché of Chile in Korea. from the south.
The first stop was Japan, where the delegation met with the authorities and technical professionals of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), with whom they analyzed, in a special way, the progress in the entry process of Chilean apples and the measures to apply for exports for the next season in the face of some fruit fly outbreaks, as well as ePhytos, among other matters.
Visit to the port of Kobe in Japan
“The delegation did its job in Japan. It has been a very interesting job in the capital and the port of Kobe, where we have been able to see the import process of fruits and also meats, being able to verify the good level of our producers, exporters and also our service in sending quality products. . We have also been very well received by fruit and meat importers,” indicated the national director of SAG, José Guajardo.
Guajardo added, “we were also able to make progress with the authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture of Japan regarding the phytosanitary requirements for the entry of our fresh apples, as well as the requirements for all our fruits that enter Japan from areas regulated by flies. of the fruit. We have very good relations with Japan and our commitment is to continue exporting very good quality products for its population.”
For his part, Miguel Canala-Echeverría, said: “First of all, we thank SAG for joining us in this visit to Asia, where we are participating as a technical counterpart of the private sector in the meetings held with the phytosanitary authorities of Japan and Korea. South, countries that we visited last week and from this week we will be in China doing the same with the Customs authorities. The key objective is to prepare the best conditions for a good fruit export season from Chile 2024-2025 with Japan and Korea, but also to see the progress situation for the entry of new fruits to these markets.”
The manager of Frutas de Chile highlighted that a special point of the meeting with the MAFF was related to achieving approval of procedures that will allow carrying out the next season of fruit shipments, some of which correspond to producing areas with fly quarantine. of the fruit. A plague that for Japan means the exclusion of exports of fruits produced within the 7.2 kilometer radius established from the point of detection of the outbreak.
“The MAFF authorities were requested to be able to implement cold treatment in transit for all our fruits authorized to enter the market and produced within the regulated area of 7.2 km. Response that will be analyzed by the Japanese entity, once it receives the SAG procedure proposal in this regard,” highlighted the fruit grower professional.
Likewise, during the meeting, Japan reported that it is making progress in the implementation of a system for e-Phytos or electronic phytosanitary certificates, and that once this process is completed it will invite countries to join the initiative.
It should be noted that the group also held a meeting with the Chilean Ambassador to Japan, Ricardo Rojas, and his team at the Chilean diplomatic headquarters in that country, and where they discussed – in general terms – about the activities within the framework of the Expo. Osaka 2024 and the importance of the presence of Chilean foods in it. In addition, issues that are being advanced with MAFF were addressed, with the aim of considering them and promoting them in the next visits of Chilean authorities to Japan.
South Korea
In the middle of last week, the group landed in South Korea to meet with representatives of the Korea Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA).
“In Korea we have had a meeting with APQA and the Port of Incheon, where they have shown us the entire inspection process for plant products. We were able to see the entire methodology that they are implementing, and we were very satisfied with the process they are carrying out. We also had meetings with the authorities, where we were able to address issues of interest to both parties, which in the case of SAG is the progress in the design of the pest mitigation plan for our plums and also everything that has to do with quarantine treatments. of cold in transit for Chilean fruits that are sent to this market,” said Marco Muñoz of SAG.
Chilean delegation in meeting with authorities and technical team of the APQA of South Korea
In the same sense, the general manager of Frutas de Chile, along with celebrating the progress in the stages involved in the process of opening new fruits in this market, indicated: “In Korea we finished stage 4 of a total of 8 that entails the Korean opening process. Now we move on to stage 5, which includes a visit by APQA experts to Chile, after pest mitigation measures are agreed upon,” he assured.
It is important to remember that Korea approved on February 27, 2024, the sea-air transport of fresh Chilean cherries via the US, and now progress is expected in Korea’s approval of other countries for this transport route. Likewise, during this meeting there was progress for the implementation of E-phyto between Chile and South Korea.
“From January 1 of this year until July 1, 2024, we are implementing a pilot program of electronic phytosanitary certificates with Korea, which has worked very well so far. Therefore, it is thought that once the pilot is over, the system could be implemented normally.”
It should be noted that the national delegation held a meeting with the Chilean ambassador to South Korea, Mathias Francke, with whom they analyzed the evolution of the conversations for the update of the FTA, the operation of the Chile-Korea Bilateral Business Committee of Sofofa and the issues pending with APQA.
Chilean delegation with Chilean Ambassador in Korea and agricultural attaché of our country in that Asian nation
Exports
According to figures from Exportada de Frutas de Chile, during the 2023-2024 season, our country sent more than 32 thousand tons of fresh fruits to Japan. Of this volume, 51% was lemons, 42% table grapes, and 6% kiwis.
Blueberries, cherries, clementines and mandarins are also sent to Japan, as well as avocados, pomegranates, sarsaparillas, custard apples and baby kiwis.
In the case of South Korea, during the last season Chile sent more than 33 thousand tons of fresh fruits. Of this amount, 51% was table grapes, 20% cherries, 16% lemons, 10% blueberries and 2% avocados, among other fruits. Chile also sends oranges and kiwis to this market.
