Philippine Citrus Export Reattempt... Quarantine Requirement Relaxation Negotiation Reached

Import Quarantine Inspection Rate Reduced from 10% to 2%

It has become possible to add transportation methods when exporting fresh citrus fruits to the Philippines. The on-site inspection quantity during import quarantine locally has been reduced from 10% to 2%. The government expects that this change will lead to the resumption of exports of Korean fresh citrus fruits to the Philippines after 10 years.

A consumer visiting Cheongnyangni Agricultural and Marine Products Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, last December is asking a vendor about the price of tangerines.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced on the 20th that it has completely finalized negotiations to ease quarantine requirements for exporting Korean fresh citrus fruits to the Philippines after one year.

South Korea concluded export quarantine negotiations related to Korean fresh citrus fruits with the Philippines in 2010, but exports were only possible via sea freight, and there was a restriction requiring seals on each packaging box. Import quarantine in the Philippines was also strict, with 10% of the cargo inspected upon arrival. As a result, the total volume of Korean fresh citrus fruits exported to the Philippines was 34 tons from 2013 to 2014, and there have been no significant export records since 2015.

With the recent conclusion of negotiations, fresh citrus fruits can now be exported to the Philippines not only by sea freight but also by air freight. Additionally, seals can be applied to pallets or containers instead of individual packaging boxes. The on-site inspection quantity during import quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines will be reduced from 10% to 2%. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expects that these changes will lead to the resumption of exports of Korean fresh citrus fruits to the Philippines.

The Quarantine Agency has already implemented the eased quarantine requirements to support rapid exports. In the future, the revision of the notification titled 'Export Quarantine Guidelines for Korean Fresh Citrus Fruits to the Philippines' will also be expedited. Kim Jeong-hee, head of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, stated, "We will pioneer new export markets for our agricultural products by reflecting the opinions of farmers and related industries," and added, "We plan to actively negotiate export quarantine requirements that have already been finalized based on the difficulties faced by farmers to ensure smooth exports."

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