70 sweet potato growing areas and 13 packing facilities qualified to export to China

On April 3, the Plant Protection Department received a note announcing the results of the online inspection of Vietnamese sweet potato enterprises exporting to China by the General Administration of Customs China (GACC). Accordingly, except for 3 enterprises examined in the process of risk analysis, Chinese experts conducted an online inspection of 20 packing facilities in Vietnam's proposed list. 

Through online testing and technical exchanges, Chinese experts confirm: 13 out of 23 packers met the requirements of the Protocol on quarantine for sweet potato products. The remaining 10 packing facilities still have some problems to overcome such as the management system is not up to standard, the equipment is not complete, the technical specifications are not good or the facilities do not fully meet the requirements of the protocol.

Along with these 13 packing facilities, the list of 70 sweet potato growing regions eligible for export to China was also posted on the website of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Bureau, General Administration of Customs of China at http://dzs.customs.gov.cn.

In its official diplomatic note, GACC stated: "It is suggested that the Plant Protection Department well perform the pre-export quarantine work and guide enterprises to strictly comply with the requirements of the production and processing procedure".

From March 7-10, 2023, thanks to the active coordination and support of the Plant Protection Department and the embassies of the two countries, a delegation of Chinese experts was able to conduct an online inspection of sweet potato enterprises for approval of export to China.

The Chinese side expressed its intention to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the future to further promote the development of agro-product trade in general and sweet potato trade in particular between the two countries.

Protocol on quarantine requirements for sweet potatoes exported to China was published on November 22, 2022. This is considered an opportunity for Vietnamese farmers to develop the commodity industry, increase economic value as well as gradually shift from unofficial to official export.

In addition to regulations on growing areas, monitoring of processing and packaging facilities, and application of VietGAP standards or equivalent, the Protocol requires producers to apply measures to control harmful organisms on purple sweet potatoes following the appendix.

The Plant Protection Department is committed to maintaining close coordination and supporting local specialized agencies in propagating, information disseminating, guiding, and organizing implementation for businesses, cooperatives, and people. The goal is to improve the quality, ensure food safety and hygiene as well as open up the market for sweet potato products.