General Administration of Customs: Proclamation on phytosanitary requirements for the import of fresh bananas from Honduras

Source: Customs release

In accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the mainland and the regulations of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of the Republic of Honduras on the plant quarantine requirements for the export of fresh bananas from Honduras to China, the import of fresh bananas from Honduras that meet the following relevant requirements is allowed from now on.

1. Basis for inspection and quarantine

(1) The "Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China";

(2) the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Quarantine of Animals and Plants Entering and Leaving the Country and its implementing regulations;

(3) the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and its implementation regulations;

(4) Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Fruits;

(5) Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of the Republic of Honduras on Plant Quarantine Requirements for the Export of Fresh Bananas from Honduras to China.

2. The names of commodities that are allowed to enter the country

Fresh bananas (hereinafter referred to as "bananas"), scientific name Musa sapientum, English name Banana, only harvested within 10-11 weeks after flowering unripe green bananas with uncracked peels.

3. Permitted origins

Honduran banana producing region.

4. Approved orchards and packing plants

Banana orchards and packaging plants exported to China must be examined and filed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of the Republic of Honduras (hereinafter referred to as "Hongfang") and approved and registered by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "China"). Registration information includes name, address, and registration number. Before the export season every year, the Hong side shall provide the Chinese side with the registration list, and after the Chinese side reviews and approves, the Chinese side will publish it on the official website of the General Administration of Customs.

5. List of quarantine pests of concern to China

1. Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata

2. New pineapple ash mealybug Dysmicoccus neobrevipes

3. Palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum

4. Banana perforated nematode Radopholus similis

5. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. sp. small plant 4 of banana wilt cubense

6. Mycosphaerella musicola

6. Pre-export management

(1) Orchard management.

1. All banana orchards exported to China should establish a sound quality management and traceability system under the supervision of Hongfang, implement good agricultural practices (GAP), maintain the sanitary conditions of orchards, such as no pollution sources affecting fruit production in the surrounding area, timely clean up fallen fruits and rotten fruits, etc., and implement comprehensive pest management (IPM), including regular pest monitoring and investigation, physical, chemical or biological control of pests, bagging during growth, harvesting before fruit ripening, and other related agricultural operation control measures.

2. In accordance with the requirements of ISPM 6, the Hong side shall formulate a management plan for quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side, and organize and implement orchard monitoring throughout the year. If harmful organisms or their corresponding symptoms are found during surveillance, comprehensive management measures including chemical, physical or biological control will be taken to ensure that bananas exported to China do not contain quarantine pests of concern to China.

3. The monitoring and prevention of pests should be implemented under the guidance of professional and technical personnel. Technical personnel shall receive training from Hongfang or its authorized institutions.

4. Orchards exported to China shall keep pest monitoring records and prevention records, which shall be provided by Hong to the Chinese side upon request. Control records should include information such as the name of the chemical agent used during the growing season, the active ingredient, the dosage and the time of use.

5. For the banana wilt No. 4 subspecies, the Hong side shall establish, confirm and maintain non-epidemic production areas in accordance with the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 10 (ISPM 10), which shall be jointly recognized and approved by the Hong side and the Chinese side. If small species of banana wilt No. 4 is found in the relevant non-epidemic production area, the Hong side should immediately suspend its status as a non-epidemic production area, notify the Chinese side within 48 hours, and immediately carry out an investigation and take corrective measures. Only if the banana wilt No. 4 seed has not been found again for more than 6 consecutive months, the qualification of non-epidemic production area can be restored after the assessment and approval of the Chinese side.

6. For pests such as fruit flies, shellworms, weevils and fungi, orchards exported to China should be monitored every 15 days from flowering to harvest, focusing on fruits, stems and leaves. If associated pests or symptoms of pests are detected, control measures, including chemical or biological methods, should be taken immediately to control the occurrence of pests or maintain low prevalence levels of pests.

(2) Packaging plant management.

1. The processing, packaging, storage and shipment of bananas exported to China shall be carried out under the quarantine supervision of Hongfang or its authorized personnel. Packaging plants and cold stores need to have good hygienic conditions and have measures to prevent reinfection of pests (e.g. insect nets, etc.).

2. The packaging plant should be clean and hygienic, the ground should be hardened, and there should be a raw material yard and finished product warehouse.

3. The functional areas such as storage, processing, processing, processing and storage of bananas exported to China are relatively independent and reasonably arranged, and they are isolated from the living area and have an appropriate distance.

4. If the packaged bananas need to be stored, they should be stored immediately and stored separately to avoid reinfection by pests.

5. Banana packaging plants exporting to China should establish a traceability system to ensure that bananas exported to China can be traced back to registered orchards, and record the date of processing and packaging, the name of the source orchard or its registration number, the number of bananas, the date of export, the number of exports, the country to be exported, the container number and other information. If chemical agents are used during processing, the date, name, active ingredients, dosage and other information of the chemical agent should be recorded, and the records should be kept for at least two years.

(3) Packaging requirements.

1. The packaging materials of bananas exported to China should be clean and hygienic, unused, and meet China's relevant plant quarantine requirements. If wood packaging is used, it must meet the requirements of International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15).

2. In the packaging process of bananas exported to China, the process of manual selection, grading and cleaning should be carried out to remove diseased fruits, insect fruits, rotten fruits, deformed fruits, branches and leaves, fruit stems or other plant residues and soil, etc., and use effective measures such as brushing or high-pressure air gun blowing to clean the surface of the fruit, if necessary, you can use a fine soft and clean cotton cloth to manually wipe the surface of the banana, especially the fruit stem and other parts, to ensure that there are no shell worms, insect eggs, pathogenic spores, rotten fruits and branches, leaves, roots and soil.

3. The packaging box must be marked in Chinese or English with the name of the fruit, the country, the place of origin, the name or registration number of the orchard and the packaging plant. Each box and pallet must be marked "Exported to the People's Republic of China" or "Exported to the People's Republic of China" in Chinese or English.

4. The container for transporting Chinese bananas must be checked for good sanitary conditions when packing. The container should be sealed and its seal should be intact when it arrives at the Chinese port of entry.

(4) Pre-export quarantine.

1. In the first two years of the implementation of trade, the Hong side shall conduct sampling inspection of bananas exported to China at a rate of 2% per shipment. If there are no phytosanitary problems within two years, the sampling ratio is reduced to 1%.

2. If ripe bananas, bananas with cracked peels, branches and leaves, soil or quarantine pests of concern to China are found, the goods shall not be exported to China, and the export of bananas from relevant orchards and packaging plants in the current export season will be suspended as appropriate. The flood side should find out the cause and take improvement measures. At the same time, record of the seizure will be kept and provided to the Chinese side upon request.

(5) Requirements for phytosanitary certificates.

1. For bananas that have passed quarantine, Hong Fang shall issue a phytosanitary certificate in accordance with ISPM 12, indicating the name or registration number of the orchard and packing plant, and fill in the following additional statement: "This consignment complies with the Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Bananas from." Honduras to China, and is free from quarantine pests of concern to China.” (The shipment meets the requirements of the Honduran Fresh Banana Quarantine Protocol for the Export to China, and does not contain quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side.) ）

2. Before the official start of trade, the Hong side shall provide the Chinese side with a sample of the phytosanitary certificate for confirmation and filing.

7. Entry inspection and quarantine and unqualified treatment

When bananas arrive at China's entry ports, China Customs implements inspection and quarantine in accordance with the following requirements.

(1) Verification of relevant certificates and markings.

1. Check whether imported bananas have obtained the "Quarantine Permit for Animals and Plants Entering the Country".

2. Verify whether the phytosanitary certificate complies with the provisions of Article 6 (5) of this announcement.

3. Verify that the markings on the boxes and pallets comply with the provisions of Article 6 (3) of this announcement.

(2) Entry inspection and quarantine.

1. Bananas exported to China should be imported from ports where China allows the import of fruits.

2. In accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, rules and other provisions, the imported bananas shall be inspected and quarantined, and those who pass the inspection and quarantine shall be allowed to enter the country.

(3) Unqualified handling.

1. If it is found that it comes from orchards or packing plants that have not been approved by the Chinese side, the goods will not be allowed to enter the country.

2. If quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side are found, or live quarantine pests newly occurring in Honduras, or soil, plant residues, ripe bananas with cracked peels, etc., the goods will be returned, destroyed or deharmed.

3. If it is found that it does not meet China's national food safety standards, the goods will be returned or destroyed.

If the above-mentioned non-conformities are discovered, the Chinese side will immediately notify the Hong side and suspend the import of bananas from relevant orchards and packaging plants as appropriate. If it comes from the banana wilt No. 4 small species non-epidemic production area, the relevant non-epidemic production area status will be immediately cancelled. The flood side should find out the cause of the non-conformity and take improvement measures to prevent similar situations from happening again. China will decide whether to lift the suspension measures based on the results of the Hong side's rectification.

8. Compliance review

In the first year of trade, with the assistance of the Hong side, China can send experts to conduct on-site visits or remote video inspections of banana-producing areas exported from Honduras to China to ensure that they meet the relevant requirements.

9. Retrospective review

In the process of trade, according to the dynamics of the banana epidemic in Honduras and the interception of pests at ports of entry, China will conduct further risk assessment and consult with the Hong side to adjust the list of quarantine pests and relevant quarantine measures. If necessary, China could conduct a retrospective review, including sending experts to Honduras for on-the-ground assessment.

This is hereby announced.

Customs

June 13, 2023