TPO – Many import countries have warned consecutive shipments of fresh fruit exported from Vietnam for not complying with requirements on plant quarantine and food safety, seriously affecting the reputation and brand of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.
On January 10, the Plant Protection Department (PPD) said it had just received a warning from the General Administration of Customs of China regarding a shipment of fresh fruit (including durian and jackfruit) exported from Vietnam and this country did not comply with the requirements on plant quarantine and food safety.
According to the Plant Protection Department, the situation of fruit shipments continuously being warned, if not well controlled, will seriously affect the reputation and brand of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.
To enhance quality management fresh fruit To ensure compliance with Vietnam's export regulations on plant quarantine and food safety of importing countries and avoid the risk of being subject to control measures from importing countries, the Plant Protection Department has issued a document directing units to tighten inspection.
The Plant Protection Department requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of provinces and cities to increase inspection and supervision of growing areas and export packaging facilities; build Plan and organize the implementation of a monitoring program on food safety and quality standards of exported fruits in growing areas and packaging facilities that have been granted codes; disseminate and train to widely disseminate the regulations of importing countries.
In particular, the specialized agency must notify the temporary suspension of all growing area codes and packaging facilities for cases of non-compliance with the regulations on plant quarantine and food safety of the Plant Protection Department.
In addition, growing areas and packaging facilities must also strictly carry out pesticide residue testing, heavy metals and traceability as a mandatory condition in granting and maintaining growing area and packaging facility codes as required by the importing country.
For owners of growing area codes and packaging facilities who do not directly export but allow other organizations and individuals to export products from their growing areas and packaging facilities, the Plant Protection Department requires them to send a written notice to the provincial specialized agency. The notice clearly states the expected export volume from the growing area in the year and the name of the exporting unit.
After receiving the notification, the provincial specialized agency will compile and send a report to the Plant Protection Department, and update the database so that regional plant quarantine sub-departments have a basis for carrying out plant quarantine procedures. The implementation period starts from January 20.
At the end of December 2024, the European Union announced that it would increase the frequency of inspection of Vietnamese durian at the border from 10% to 20% from January 8, 2025 because it discovered residues of many active ingredients of plant protection drugs exceeding the permitted threshold (according to European standards).
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