Taiwan lifts apple quarantine, agrees to resume imports
Taiwan lifts apple quarantine, agrees to resume imports
A ban imposed Dec. 21, 2004, on apple exports to Taiwan was lifted April 26, with exports from the United States approved to resume April 27.
According to a letter from Francis K. H. Liang of the Washington, DC-based Economic Division of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Representative Office in the United States, the Taiwan Bureau of Animal & Plant Health Inspection & Quarantine "agreed [April 26] to resume U.S. apple imports into Taiwan April 27, 2005, and the phytosanitary certificate of apples should be issued on or after that date."
The December ban was issued following the third instance of codling moth larvae discovered in U.S. apple shipments. Two earlier instances of larvae were found during 2004 in product being shipped from Washington state and California, and the third was in apples from Oregon.
Prior to the ban, between 1.5 million and 1.6 million boxes of apples from the 2004 Washington harvest had been shipped to Taiwan. Washington Apple Commission President Dave Carlson said earlier this year that in 2000, with a crop that closely matched that of 2004, some 4.9 million boxes found a home in the Pacific Rim country, and last year just slightly more than 2 million boxes were shipped there.
Most of the Washington apples sent to Taiwan are Fujis and Galas, Mr. Carlson said.
The news was met with obvious delight at both the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association and the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association. Miles Kohl of the Yakima group said that the quarantine lift was certainly being celebrated within the industry on April 27.
This will potentially provide a lift in Fuji movement, Mr. Kohl said, noting that the 2004 crop, the largest in Washington history at 102.5 million boxes, had seen 69.3 percent of its volume shipped to date.
Still, the crop's movement is not way off historical numbers on smaller volume. In 2000, the previous record-setter for the state at 98.3 million boxes, to-date movement was 72.3 percent, and last year at this time, 75.3 percent of the 2003 crop had been shipped.
Mr. Kohl continued, More so than anything, this sets the groundwork for the 2005 crop. He noted that while shipments to Taiwan would resume, the actual peak shipping period to the Asian nation normally comes earlier in the year.
Were out of peak time for shipments there, he said, adding that on average the month of May sees 20,000 cases of apples exported to Taiwan. Whether there will be pent-up demand there, we dont know, he said.
From the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, Charles Pomianek told The Produce News that the announcement from Taiwan was Christmas in April for Washington apple growers and shippers. He added, It is great, great news. We need all of our markets for this big crop.
And referencing the pent-up demand, Mr. Pomianek thought that such demand does exist. This is also great for the Taiwanese people, because they really like our product. Now we just have to work hard to follow protocol.
Amended protocol has been sent to Francis F. Ruzicka III, the Washington, DC-based director of trade and commercial programs for the American Institute in Taiwan.
Further, the on-site verification of orchard control programs will be conducted during the coming yearly quarantine verification, as it was not conducted during the March on-site verification visit, Mr. Liang wrote.
According to a letter from Francis K. H. Liang of the Washington, DC-based Economic Division of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Representative Office in the United States, the Taiwan Bureau of Animal & Plant Health Inspection & Quarantine "agreed [April 26] to resume U.S. apple imports into Taiwan April 27, 2005, and the phytosanitary certificate of apples should be issued on or after that date."
The December ban was issued following the third instance of codling moth larvae discovered in U.S. apple shipments. Two earlier instances of larvae were found during 2004 in product being shipped from Washington state and California, and the third was in apples from Oregon.
Prior to the ban, between 1.5 million and 1.6 million boxes of apples from the 2004 Washington harvest had been shipped to Taiwan. Washington Apple Commission President Dave Carlson said earlier this year that in 2000, with a crop that closely matched that of 2004, some 4.9 million boxes found a home in the Pacific Rim country, and last year just slightly more than 2 million boxes were shipped there.
Most of the Washington apples sent to Taiwan are Fujis and Galas, Mr. Carlson said.
The news was met with obvious delight at both the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association and the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association. Miles Kohl of the Yakima group said that the quarantine lift was certainly being celebrated within the industry on April 27.
This will potentially provide a lift in Fuji movement, Mr. Kohl said, noting that the 2004 crop, the largest in Washington history at 102.5 million boxes, had seen 69.3 percent of its volume shipped to date.
Still, the crop's movement is not way off historical numbers on smaller volume. In 2000, the previous record-setter for the state at 98.3 million boxes, to-date movement was 72.3 percent, and last year at this time, 75.3 percent of the 2003 crop had been shipped.
Mr. Kohl continued, More so than anything, this sets the groundwork for the 2005 crop. He noted that while shipments to Taiwan would resume, the actual peak shipping period to the Asian nation normally comes earlier in the year.
Were out of peak time for shipments there, he said, adding that on average the month of May sees 20,000 cases of apples exported to Taiwan. Whether there will be pent-up demand there, we dont know, he said.
From the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, Charles Pomianek told The Produce News that the announcement from Taiwan was Christmas in April for Washington apple growers and shippers. He added, It is great, great news. We need all of our markets for this big crop.
And referencing the pent-up demand, Mr. Pomianek thought that such demand does exist. This is also great for the Taiwanese people, because they really like our product. Now we just have to work hard to follow protocol.
Amended protocol has been sent to Francis F. Ruzicka III, the Washington, DC-based director of trade and commercial programs for the American Institute in Taiwan.
Further, the on-site verification of orchard control programs will be conducted during the coming yearly quarantine verification, as it was not conducted during the March on-site verification visit, Mr. Liang wrote.
