Mainland lifts ban on Taiwan sugar apples

Imports of the fruit reinstated as pest problems removed after evaluations

The General Administration of Customs on the mainland lifted the ban on imports of sugar apples from Taiwan on Tuesday, after restricting them due to the detection of harmful pests since 2020.

"The mainland is willing to make joint efforts with those on the island to provide help for resuming the import of agricultural and fishery products to the mainland," Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The temporary ban on sugar apples was implemented in September 2020 after several shipments from Taiwan contained a type of pest that posed a risk to plant health, Zhu said.