The sector welcomes new cherry and pork protocols for China

The Catalan agri-food sector has welcomed with great satisfaction the opening of new export protocols for cherries and the widening of pork products for the Chinese market. This is a long-awaited step forward that opens new business opportunities for the country's producers and exporters.

For cherries, the protocol signed with the Chinese authorities means the opening of a strategic market the sector had been trying to unlock for more than seven years. Since the cherry sector board was created, Prodeca and Afrucat have worked intensively with the Ministry of Agriculture to drive this agreement, a notable milestone in the internationalisation strategy of the Catalan fruit sector.

Cherry exporters are very optimistic about the agreement and see it as a great opportunity despite the demanding technical requirements.

Catalan cherry exports reached €9.79M in 2024, 64.33% more than the previous year, with 3,078 tonnes exported. Access to the Chinese market could push these figures higher still, consolidating cherries as one of the fruits with the greatest export potential.

As for pork, , the sector associations have welcomed the agreement reached by the Spanish Government with the Chinese authorities to extend the protocol, widening the range of pork products that can be exported to China. The sector had been working for years to extend the authorisations to include stomach, a product highly prized in that market, which should benefit the whole value chain in Catalonia.

Pending the protocol's details and whether authorisation will have to be plant by plant or approval will extend to the Spanish control system, it can be said that the Catalan companies already authorised to export meat and meat by-products to China will add a highly valued by-product to their demand.

Catalonia has 29 establishments authorised to export meat and pork products to China, out of the 78 in Spain.

The Catalan pork sector has been one of the most active in international promotion and has been committed to the Chinese market for years, especially after the health crisis that hit the Asian country's pig herd. This made China the leading destination for Catalan pork exports in 2019, accounting for 43% of export value in 2020. From 2021, China has sought to reverse this dependence on foreign supply of this type of meat and has cut imports thanks to the improvement and recovery of its domestic production, which also affected Catalan exports and has led to a 70% fall in exports over the past 4 years.