EU drops ban on VN fruit & veg

EU drops ban on VN fruit & veg

The European Union will lift a 12-month ban on the export of five types of fresh fruit and vegetables from Viet Nam. The ban will be lifted on June 30.

One year ago, Viet Nam stopped issuing quarantine certificates for goods sent to the EU because the produce failed to meet the stringent hygiene and safety regulations demanded by the union.

Nguyen Van Nga, director of the Plant Protection Department's Regional Plant Quarantine Sub-department II under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on the sidelines of the Congress of the Vietnamese Fruit and Vegetables Association in HCM City yesterday that the temporary halt of the export of basil, sweet pepper, celery, bitter gourd and coriander would be lifted.

However, EU agencies have already warned that more violations of hygiene and safety regulations will result in a ban on all fruit and vegetables from Viet Nam. To avoid this, domestic exporters are advised to purchase fruit and vegetable cultivated in line with Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) standards.

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