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China has opened its market to fresh raspberries, blackcurrants and blackberries from Kyrgyzstan, the country’s agriculture ministry announced, in a decision that could give Kyrgyz growers a new outlet beyond their traditional buyers in Russia and Kazakhstan.
China’s General Administration of Customs issued the approval on 20 October, following a plant health agreement the two countries signed on 31 August, according to Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry. Producers wishing to export must meet Chinese plant health standards and register their farms and packing facilities with Chinese customs. Kyrgyz authorities are required to inspect a sample equivalent to 2 percent of each shipment, a rate that may fall to 1 percent after two years without any plant health violations. The agriculture ministry has invited interested producers to apply for registration.
The approval arrives as Kyrgyzstan’s berry sector is heavily oriented toward two neighbours. From January through May 2026, the country exported approximately 5,358 metric tons of berries, almost entirely strawberries. Russia received around 3,076 tons and Kazakhstan 2,264 tons over that period.
Strawberries and apples still shut out
The new agreement does not cover fresh strawberries, the crop that accounts for the overwhelming majority of Kyrgyz berry shipments. A list of fresh fruits authorised for import into China, updated on 6 October ahead of the latest approval, already included Kyrgyz cherries, melons, grapes, peaches and apricots, but strawberries were absent. Apples were also excluded despite being Kyrgyzstan’s largest fruit export in the first five months of 2026, when more than 8,300 tons were shipped.
The gap between what China has approved and what Kyrgyzstan actually grows in volume means the practical trade impact of the October decision will depend on whether producers of the newly eligible berries can scale up and meet registration requirements.
A widening but still partial opening
The berry approval is the latest in a series of market-access agreements between the two countries. Earlier deals covered beans, poultry meat, wool and cashmere. In July 2025, Kyrgyzstan began exporting dried apricots to China with an initial shipment of 23 metric tons.
In March 2026, Chinese customs confirmed that Kyrgyz companies could export certain frozen fruits and berries — including raspberries and strawberries — after registering through China’s Import Food Enterprises Registration system. Unlike fresh produce, frozen goods do not require a separate quarantine permit, meaning frozen strawberries already have a pathway to the Chinese market that their fresh counterparts do not.
Kyrgyzstan’s exports from agriculture, food and processing industries were worth approximately $378 million in 2025, of which crop products accounted for $80.7 million.