No American Apples ever crossed the borders

Have you ever wondered of the origin of the apples in supermarkets and food markets in Mongolia?

Perhaps, one always had a doubt when buying apples labeled as “Russian” or “American” and having priced higher.

We aimed to investigate on the “real” origin of those fancy priced apples and to help our readers to make better choices next time you go grocery shopping.

WHAT APPLES ARE AVAILABLE AT STORES IN MONGOLIA?

Fruit consumption of Mongolians can be said is more based on apples, as one can notice every grocery store, supermarket and food markets have abundance of apples.

Moreover, at upper scale supermarkets such as SKY and Mercury, there is good selection of apples from Poland, USA, Russia, China, Belgium and Korea.

The table above clearly depicts that at smaller grocery stores the selection of apples is not much and mostly sells Chinese apples.

DO WE REALLY IMPORT APPLES FROM RUSSIA, POLAND AND KOREA?

Media and social media everyday send us the message whether the fruits on market are reliable and doubting its origins. Probably this has become the main reason for the most of Mongolians to refuse consuming the fruits in our everyday diet.

In order to answer this question we have met with D.Dovchinsuren, Senior State Inspector at General Inspection Authority Border and Plants Inspection Department.

IMPORTS OF MOST APPLES ARE COMING FROM POLAND, CHINA AND BELGIUM

Most of the residents were convinced that fruits on market are mostly imported from China, but these numbers show very interesting numbers?
Generally Mongolian entities have increased imports of fruits from European countries, which shows that Mongolians have become more aware of their health and their diet. But Chinese doesn’t imply the quality is bad. At customs we require the plant origin documents for fruits, the authorities of fruit exporting countries guaranteeing the quality issue this document. This requirement is adhered by every country having membership at World Trade Organization.

How much apples were imported in Mongolia during 2014?
Mongolian imported apples from 13 countries, which are China, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Czech, Macedonia, Ukraine, Kyrgyz, Serbia, Holland, Italy, Korea and Turkey. And the most of the imports are from Poland, Belgium and China.

Which ports are used for imports of fruits in Mongolia?
Chinese are imported through Zamiin-Uud and European imports are accessing through Altanbulag and Sukhbaatar ports.

What are the standards and requirements on the transportation of the fruits? Were there any cases where fruits were not accepted at ports?
Fruit transporting vehicle should be equipped with refrigerators with temperature regulation. Chinese transportation has issues with those requirements, while European imports do not have any problems.

What types of tests are done at the ports to accept the imported fruits and apples?
We do test on insects and pests. If the product is found to be defective we do not allow them to access the port and direct them back or disposal.

How many entities are importing apples?
There are over 10 companies doing imports on apples. Border Inspection is responsible for the imports and exports. In this regard we require having the trade contracts with suppliers and other licenses to be able to import apples. At border ports we do investigations on the current situation of the country of origin in order to accept the imports. This takes 1-3 working days. Lately, due to the conflicts between Russia and Eurozone, imports of fruits from European countries are detoured through China.

Are there any restrictions on quantity of imported apples?
There is no specific limit set. Entities usually send their forecasts based on 6 months data.

The above infographic shows the countries we import apples from, allowing us to make two interesting deductions.

Conclusion

1. Not all fruit is from China
2. Where do all those “American” apples come from?

THERE ARE NO IMPORTS OF APPLES FROM USA

We tried to contact the importing companies from the perspective of the consumer and none of them have confirmed imports from USA.

If no American apples ever crossed the borders, where do they come from?

We have clarified on this matter from B.Amgalan, State Inspector in charge of Exports and Imports.

Many bigger supermarkets in Ulaanbaatar city have apples labeled as from USA. But the statistics gathered from the Border Inspection Department states no evidence of imports from USA.
There are no direct imports from USA. But there might be imports of American apples shipped from China. Other than that there are no direct imports of apples from USA.

Does it mean we consume American apple varieties grown in China?
There is no such thing. China is a big market and attracts imports of apples from various countries including US apples. There is probability that Mongolian importers buy those apples available at Chinese market.

These are the clarifications we got from the officials.

WHAT SHOULD WE CONSIDER TO MAKE BETTER CHOICE?

State Senior Inspector Ts.Khorloobaatar gives some advices on how to make better choices and what the consumers need to pay attention to. Also he mentioned that entities have reduced the imports from China and importing more from European countries.

1. Make sure the packaging is not torn and not damaged. For instance, Belgium apples are packed in special boxes with pouches for apples. If apples have perfect for the pouches it means apples are good.
2. Apples should be of similar color in one box. If you can notably see difference in color, it means that those varieties were mixes.
3. Smell the apples. If one can smell chemicals better not to buy them at all.
4. Make sure to ask for the documents indicating the origin of the apples.

To be continued…