China is to ban from export fruit grown on unregistered orchards or handled in unregistered packhouses, with effect from November 1.
From that date, fruit exporters will also be required to keep records of the origin, volume and destination of each batch of fruit they export for at least two years, announced Yu Taiwei, director of animal and plant hygiene at China’s quality supervision, inspection and quarantine service, AQSIQ.
His administrative department also now requires inspection and quarantine departments across the country to advise orchards and packhouses on the use of farm chemicals and pest and disease prevention and control.
“Fruits are important, sensitive products in international agricultural trade, so we shall try our best to ensure their safety,” Yu said in an online interview.
This move sees the extension of the registration requirement which had previously only be necessary for produce exported to Europe, North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and the Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions.
Although regulations were already in place, problems had occurred. “There have been some quarantine problems involving fruits exported to Russia recently, so we have decided to expand the rule to fruits bound for all countries and regions,” Yu said. The move is also part of a national campaign on food safety and product quality that started late last month.
Under AQSIQ requirements, registered orchards must be larger than seven hectares and located at a certain distance from sources of pollution. They should also have sound management systems and be free of major agricultural diseases for the preceding two years.
Official Chinese farm ministry figures show that China exported 3.7 million tonnes of fruit last year, with apples, oranges and fruit juice the major products.
As part of new measures, a blacklist of illegal importers and exporters will be set up.
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