Healthier lifestyles and rising affluence in Hong Kong and the mainland are helping to drive a rise in Asian imports of blueberries from Chile, grapes from California, apples from New Zealand and other fruit and vegetables from far-flung farms. And this growth in fruit and vegetable consumption is also fuelling a surge in refrigerated cargo shipments using enhanced technology to more readily compete with air carriers.
'Asia is eating more than it is exporting,' said Eric Eng, vice president for the global reefer trade at APL, the Singapore-headquartered container shipping line.
He pointed out that mainland consumers had increased spending power and were eating more imported blueberries, strawberries and other berry fruits. By comparison - while China was no longer a major exporter of apples - garlic exports, driven by foreign demand, were set to top 2.6 million tonnes, double last year's exports.
Eng said there was growing interest from South American farms and trade organisations to increase the volume of fruit and vegetable exports to the mainland and the rest of Asia.
Official figures show exports of blueberries from Chile to Asia surged 1,248 per cent in the past 10 years. Global blueberry and cranberry imports into Hong Kong alone rose to US$11 million last year, up from US$4.6 million a year earlier. By comparison, cherry imports into China almost doubled last year to 11,222 tonnes, up from 6,184 tonnes in 2009, government figures showed.
Eng indicated that fruit imports from both North and South America to Asia were likely to grow 8.5 per cent this year, quoting figures from Global Insight, while fruit imports from Latin America to Asia were set to rise 12 per cent next year.
His comments coincided with last week's Asia Fruit Logistica exhibition and congress in Hong Kong which attracted about 320 farmers, traders, shipping lines and produce marketing organisations.