African fresh fruit imports benefiting from China's expanded zero-tariff policy are costing about 17% less per container, the latest figures released by Shanghai Customs show.
African fruit imports benefiting from the zero-tariff treatment were valued at CNY13.66 million (R33 million). Shanghai Customs said the removal of tariffs had reduced fresh fruit import costs by about 17% per container.
Overall, imports from the 53 eligible African countries had exceeded CNY1.2 billion (R2.9 billion) since the tariff measure took effect on May 1, resulting in tariff savings of CNY120 million (R290 million), said Shanghai Customs.
The customs authority has also introduced measures to speed up the clearance of perishable agricultural products. These included a 24-hour green channel for fresh-cut flowers, tailored clearance plans and additional resources to streamline customs procedures and speed up market entry, it said.
Industrial components imported under the policy had also benefited from tariff savings and customs facilitation measures aimed at improving clearance efficiency, said Shanghai Customs.
China expanded zero-tariff treatment to imports from the 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations as part of efforts to increase access to the Chinese market for African products.
In South Africa, the South African Revenue Service began issuing certificates of origin for qualifying exports from June 1 after finalising the legal and operational framework for implementing the scheme. Goods shipped or cleared from May 1 could also qualify retrospectively, provided exporters obtained the required certificates of origin.
