Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - China has agreed to consider resuming the importation of Vietnamese sweet potatoes and chilies, an online conference on June 3 heard.
Held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the conference aimed to address technical bottlenecks in order to boost farm produce consumption amid COVID-19.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said the Chinese side cannot travel to conduct the necessary measures for signing an export protocol on certain agro products.
However, China has agreed to allow Vietnam's sweet potatoes to enter its market on the condition that all cultivation areas and packaging companies are inspected and apply technical measures to prevent the risk of the produce being infected by 10 harmful creatures, according to Deputy Director of MARD’s Plant Protection Department Nguyen Thi Thu Huong.
The department will contact sweet potato growers in Vinh Long, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong provinces to compile technical dossiers, she added.
Regarding chili, China asked Vietnam to cease exports last year but the General Administration of Customs of China has now agreed on the temporary resumption of chili shipments from Vietnam while the Chinese side analyses the risks.
The Plant Protection Department will study suitable technical and phytosanitary measures and forward these to relevant Chinese agencies, as well as help localities set up disease-free cultivation areas, Huong noted.
Malaysia has also given green light to the import of Vietnamese chilies after a two-year suspension if certain conditions are met.
Localities need to closely work with the Plant Protection Department to complete technical dossiers, as export markets have specific requirements on the tight management of cultivation zones and packaging facilities, Nam emphasised./.
VNA
