Zero Tariffs: African Fruits to China(Sep 29)

Zero-Tariff Dividends Unleashed: African Fresh Fruits Enter China at Accelerated Pace

Overview

Recently, a batch of 148 tonnes of African fresh fruits passed inspection and quarantine at Shenzhen Bay Customs and was released for sale to major supermarkets across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Since China implemented comprehensive zero-tariff treatment for all African countries with diplomatic relations in May this year, Shenzhen Bay Port has significantly accelerated the clearance of African fresh fruits to ensure rapid delivery to Chinese consumers.

Market Response and Cost Savings

Shenzhen Jianchengye International Freight Agency Co., Ltd., a professional cross-border fresh cold-chain service provider, reported that after the zero-tariff policy took effect, the volume of African fruits on the market has visibly increased. The proportion of African fresh fruits among the company's total imported fruits rose by approximately 10 percentage points year-on-year.

The company's General Manager stated: "African fruits are popular in the market primarily because the harvest seasons in some African countries are opposite to those in China. Grapefruit, fresh oranges, and other fruits can fill the domestic winter-spring market gap, and quality is stable. Most importantly, with zero tariffs, prices are affordable, giving us greater confidence to expand imports."

According to the company, after the comprehensive zero-tariff treatment for African countries with diplomatic relations was implemented, the cost per container of imported fruit decreased by approximately RMB 20,000 to 25,000, significantly reducing costs and broadening the company's premium fruit sourcing channels.

Customs Innovation for Speedy Clearance

To enable African fresh fruits to achieve "fast delivery," Shenzhen Customs has leveraged smart customs construction, embedding technology throughout the entire import supervision chain. The customs authority introduced a combined approach of "pre-declaration + intelligent verification + green channel," completing document review before cargo arrives at the port. Upon arrival, label verification can be completed in seconds, cold-treatment data is automatically compared, and qualified batches are inspected and released immediately upon arrival, with the cold chain maintained uninterrupted throughout.

A deputy section chief at Shenzhen Bay Customs explained: "Through technology empowerment, we compress inspection times while ensuring safety, allowing African fresh fruits to reach the domestic market at the fastest possible speed."

Import Scale

In the first eight months of this year, Shenzhen Customs supervised the quarantine of 40,900 tonnes of African imported fresh fruits, with a total value of RMB 331 million. From May to August, Shenzhen Customs supervised taxable African fruit imports valued at RMB 196 million, with RMB 25 million in tariff reductions.

South Africa, Kenya, and other African countries and regions benefit from abundant sunlight, large diurnal temperature variations, and high fruit sweetness and quality, making them important global fresh fruit exporters. With harvest seasons opposite to China's peak season, South African fresh grapes, Egyptian fresh oranges, and Moroccan fresh grapefruit can precisely fill the domestic winter-spring gap with stable quality, making them increasingly competitive under the zero-tariff policy.