The first shipment of fresh pears from China to Brazil has appeared in Brazilian supermarkets, the Fresh Plaza website says, citing the exporter, Hebei Cangzhou Botou Eastern Fruit Co. Ltd.

The website quotes Hebei Cangzhou Botou Eastern Fruit General Manager Guo Zhongtao as saying the sales prospects are excellent, even though the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the arrival of the fruit.

Mr Guo said his company was planning further shipments.

Pears are picked at different times of the year in China and in South America, so the Chinese exports fill the seasonal gap in Brazilian output, Fresh Plaza quotes Mr Guo as saying.

In January the Chinese government-run news agency, Xinhua, reported the dispatch to Brazil of about 32.4 tonnes of fresh pears from the northern Chinese province of Hebei, sent after the Chinese General Administration of Customs issued plant health requirements.