Tomato, No Issues on Export Route to Japan... Quarantine Headquarters Establish Export Quarantine Guidelines

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced on the 3rd that it had established and promulgated the "Notice on Quarantine Guidelines for Exporting Korean Tomatoes and Other Fresh Fruits to Japan" on the 29th of last month.

This notice was established to implement the risk management measures agreed upon through negotiations with Japan in May, following the discovery of tomato fruit borer moths in some domestic tomato farms, in order to continue the export of Korean fresh tomatoes to Japan.

Tomatoes are displayed on the sales counter at Hanaro Mart Yangjae Branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The tomato fruit borer moth is a major pest that damages tomato leaves and fruits. It is designated as a quarantine pest in Japan, and tomatoes, as host plants, can only be exported if they meet Japan's import requirements.

According to this notice, tomato fresh fruit cultivation farms and export managers must register with the Quarantine Agency, and to prevent pest intrusion from outside, nets with a mesh size of 1.6 mm or less must be installed on open parts such as windows and ventilation openings within cultivation facilities. In addition, plant quarantine inspectors will conduct surveys using monitoring traps starting two months before harvest, and only tomatoes produced in farms where tomato fruit borer moths are not detected can be exported to Japan. Therefore, farms wishing to export tomatoes to Japan should apply for export farm registration at the regional headquarters or offices of the Quarantine Agency according to this notice and proceed with export procedures accordingly.

The Quarantine Agency has so far conducted joint巡回 education sessions on export requirements and pest control methods for export farms in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Development Administration. It has also prepared to support exports by assisting with the installation of nets to prevent pest intrusion. Going forward, the agency plans to continuously provide pest control guidance in cooperation with local governments to ensure that farms strictly comply with the risk management measures.

Kim Jeong-hee, head of the Quarantine Agency, said, "The establishment of this notice has laid the foundation for the continued export of tomatoes to Japan, and we will do our best to expand tomato exports to Japan through meticulous farm management and thorough monitoring." He also urged, "Tomato cultivation farms should actively work on pest control to prevent the occurrence of tomato fruit borer moths within their facilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.