Dive Brief:
- The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has proposed new rules that would free importers to ship apples from China.
- The new regulation would open trade in apples from regions of China where the Oriental fruit fly is not present.
- The agency estimates that, if the rule is approved, it would lead to imports of roughly 10,000 metric tons of Chinese apples annually — less than half of one percent of U.S. supply.
Dive Insight:
Observers of the fruit industry know that Chinese apples have been a long time coming to the U.S. market: This is a battle that's been fought for more than 10 years between Chinese trade officials and the American apple industry. And this particular round, in which the fight has focused on pests, is more than three years old.
But if the Chinese apples do make it to market, it's worth noting that the crop in that nation is dominated by a single variety of the fruit. Roughly 70% of China's apples are Fujis, according to APHIS.
Fujis have a much longer shelf life than other apples — making them the ideal apple for sending across the Pacific.