Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/418083
14 DECEMBER 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com W ashington's apple industry welcomed the news in late October of the imme- diate reopening of China's market to Washington Red and Golden Delicious apples announced by U.S. Department of Agriculture offi cials. The market reopening was good timing as the industry moves its largest crop on record, estimated to top around 155 million 40-pound cartons. Red and Golden Delicious apples are the only two varieties from the United States that have ever been allowed into China. But shipments were stopped two years ago when the Chinese government closed the mar- ket to Washington Red and Golden apples due to inter- ception of three species of fungi that cause postharvest decay. The Chinese have claimed that the three fungi are not found in their country. Negotiations have been under way for more than two years to reopen China. The Northwest Horticultural Council and Northwest Fruit Exporters have worked closely with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS ) and Chinese offi cials to alleviate China's concerns that Washington apples could spread decay diseases to their domestic apple industry. Chinese plant quarantine offi cials visited Pacifi c Northwest orchards and packing houses in September to view inspection and quarantine management systems. Washington's apple industry has worked for more than a year to develop an export work plan as a con- dition of exporting apples to China that's feasible for Washington growers and shippers but also satisfi es the Chinese government. Agreement to the export protocol by both the Chinese and APHIS and the recent Chinese visit triggered the market reopening. Though the export protocol is onerous, given the size of this year's crop, David Anderson of Northwest Fruit Exporters says shippers have anxiously waited for the China reopens apple shipments from Washington ONEROUS protocol Market reopening is welcome news as the industry ships its biggest crop ever. by Melissa Hansen T he export protocol that spells out requirements that Washington Red and Golden Delicious apples must fol- low for export to China is onerous and follows apples from orchard to packing house. Titled the "Supplementary Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Export of the 2014 Apple Crop from the State of Washington to China," the protocol is a multistep program that begins in the orchard and ends upon shipment to China. Orchard requirements Growers must follow guidelines to monitor and manage speck rot (Phacidiopycnis washingtonesis), spharopsis rot (Sphaeropsis pyriputrescens), and bull's-eye rot (Neofabraea perennans), developed by Washington State University Extension. The guide- lines address orchard sanitation practices, including collecting fallen branches and fruits and pruning diseased branches, and in particular, pollenizer crabapple trees, and applying prehar- vest fungicides as necessary. An affi davit stating intent to comply with the guidelines is required for each participating orchard. If rot is found in the orchard, apples from that orchard cannot be exported to China that season. Packing house Fruit destined for China cannot be packed at the same time as fruit not qualifi ed for China. Postharvest fungicide must be applied to fruit by drenching at time of delivery and prior to storage or by fogging the cold room. A random sample of 300 fruits from the fi rst shipment for each orchard or grower lot from each storage room must be held in cold storage for 40 days at 0°C or 90 days at 3.3°C and then inspected before packing. Two or more decayed fruit in the sample disqualifi es the lot for export for the current season. Inspections are done on site by an APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) representative. At shipping Before export of each shipment, a sample of 2 percent of the total number of boxes from each grower lot must be inspected by APHIS. Sample volume shouldn't be less than 1,200 fruits and 100 percent of the sample inspected. At least 40 fruits must be cut and all suspected fruit cut. A live quarantine pest detected disqualifi es the lot from export. Beginning March 1, the sample rate increases to 3 percent and the minimum sample volume inspected increases to 1,800 fruits and 100 percent inspection. The protocol also dictates port of entry for the Washington apples and allows entry in seven Chinese ports. The Northwest Horticultural Council's Dr. Mike Willett said that when Chinese inspectors showed up in September for Washington fi eld visits with their work plan in hand, there were discrepancies between the English translation and the Chinese version. "We thought the 300-fruit sample from the grower lot could be pulled after fruit was in storage but the Chinese version was that it had to be collected before the lot was placed in storage," Willett said. "So for fruit harvested after October 6, we had to agree to a sample being pulled before fruit was sent to cold storage." Also, the Chinese version didn't have the 40-day cold treat- ment, he said. When news of the agreement came, he said that APHIS informed industry organizations that the English- language translation of the supplemental agreement is the gov- erning body. He noted that the protocol is in place for one year. —M. Hansen "It gives us another market—the world's largest market—at a time when we ϔ Ǥdz —Dave Martin PHOTO BY TJ MULLINAX Golden Delicious and Red Delicious are the only two varieties from the United States that have been allowed into China. A two-year ban on shipments from the U.S. was lifted in October.