China dispatched on Tuesday about 32.4 tonnes of fresh pears from Cangzhou, north of Hebei province, for sale in Brazil, the first such shipment from China to Brazil, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency says China is the biggest grower and exporter of pears in the world, exporting about 500,000 tonnes a year, half of them from the northern province Hebei, and that Hebei pears are sold in 72 different parts of the world.

Brazil is the second-biggest importer of pears in the world after Russia, importing about 300,000 tonnes a year, Xinhua says.

The Chinese General Administration of Customs issued last week plant health requirements for the export of Chinese fresh pears to Brazil.