After 3 months of widely consulting with relevant parties, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Service of Korea (APQA) announced regulations on importing fresh grapefruit from Vietnam.
On August 1, according to information from the Plant Protection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, grapefruit is officially the third fresh fruit in Vietnam allowed to be exported. import into Korea. Previously, dragon fruit and mango were imported into Korea.
According to the Plant Protection Department, since 2018 the department has launched a program to open the market for Vietnamese grapefruit exported to Korea.
However, the negotiation process only really accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic. After 2 years of efforts, active coordination, and information exchange to promote the process of conducting pest risk analysis and going through many rounds of negotiations, the Plant Protection Department and the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Service reached a technical agreement in a bilateral meeting in April 2024.
At the same time, on July 18, the Plant Protection Department also posted on its website draft requirements on plant quarantine and food safety for fresh grapefruit imported from Vietnam to Korea so that interested organizations and individuals can learn and grasp information about these regulations in advance.
In particular, according to regulations on classification of fresh grapefruit exported to Korea, it can only be classified and packaged in packaging facilities registered with the Plant Protection Department.
When fresh grapefruit exported to Korea arrives at the packing facility, the harvested fruit crate must be labeled. The label must clearly state that the fresh grapefruit was produced in a registered export growing area, including the name or registration number of the growing area. The export packing facility must verify the information on the label.
When classifying fresh grapefruit exported to Korea, it must be ensured that grapefruit produced from unregistered grapefruit growing areas or other fresh fruits are not classified together.
The Plant Protection Department will supervise the grading of fresh grapefruit to ensure that there are no harmful organisms, in accordance with Korean regulations. The grading process of fresh grapefruit for export must include washing with water and cleaning with compressed air.
The Department also stated that the import of fresh grapefruit from Vietnam into Korea is an important step, opening up great opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products to access the international market. At the same time, it affirms the quality and reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products on the world market.
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