Italian kiwifruit exporters have been granted a major concession on their trade protocol with China, an amendment that will allow them to carry out cold treatment of the fruit prior to shipment, and potentially boost sendings to the Asian country as a result.
The change in import rules means that an approved list of packing facilities in Italy will be in a position to carry out the treatment, which is designed to rule out the possibility of any unwanted pests being brought into the destination market.
That alteration to the protocol is understood to offer a chance to simplify export procedures considerably, removing as it does a requirement for cold treatment on arrival. It apparently also opens the door to airfreight shipments, or indeed the sending of fruit via new rail connections linking Europe to China.
Read more on Fruitnet.
