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REEDLEY - 07/10/06 - This week, the first shipments of fresh California plums were exported to China by several industry grower/packers, an arrangement more than a decade in the making.

The first shipments departed on the Fourth of July, according to the California Tree Fruit Agreement (CTFA).

Following the trade agreement signed by Chinese officials and the US Department of Agriculture's  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in December 2005, Chinese government officials visited the state in May to review the implementation of the agreed upon work plan.

Their analysis indicated California's plum industry performed as expected and final approval for shipment was announced July 1. 

Rapid response from US government officials allowed county inspectors the opportunity to approve phyto-sanitary certificates within two days. The first shipment of fresh California plums was inspected, sealed and shipped the morning of July 4. 

That shipment of plums is now on the way to mainland China and should arrive in a few short weeks, the CTFA said.

In anticipation of the Chinese market opening, agreement has coordinated educational and promotional programs from Beijing in the north to Shanghai and Guangzhou in southern China.

The programs are designed to educate consumers about the fruit's qualities, and, once the plums arrive in China, the CTFA will work closely with importers and supermarket chains on marketing and handling efforts.

The California peach, plum, and nectarine (PPN) industry in five counties - Fresno, Tulare, Kern, Kings, and Madera - has been working toward gaining access to the Chinese market for California plums since 1994.

China's growing urban population and a rapidly expanding economy translate into greater demand by Chinese consumers for more imported agricultural goods.

The total value of Chinese agricultural imports was $25.9 billion in 2004, a 50% increase over the previous year.

California plum exports in 2005 were approximately 4.5 million boxes with Taiwan and Hong Kong constituting a full one-third of the total.  

Within 5 years, China is estimated to surpass Canada as the number one plum export market for California, according to the CFTA.

 The industry originally expected to ship up to 500,000 28-lb. packages of fresh California plums to China by the end of this year, but, due to timing of the approval and a short crop, the estimate has been revised to 300,000 to 350,000 packages.

The California Tree Fruit Agreement, headquartered in Reedley, California, administers marketing order programs on behalf of the state's 2,000 fresh peach, plum and nectarine farmers.

Originally established in 1933, the agreement includes the Peach Commodity Committee and the Nectarine Administrative Committee, both federal programs, and the California Plum Marketing Board, a state program.

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