The announcement said that the export of fresh Vietnamese bananas to China is based on the provisions of the Protocol signed between the General Administration of Customs China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, on phytosanitary requirements for fresh Vietnamese bananas exported to China.
Fresh bananas that are allowed to be imported into the Chinese market must be unripe bananas harvested within 10 to 16 weeks after flowering and originate from banana-growing areas in Vietnam.
To ensure product traceability, the planting areas and packing facilities must be jointly approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the General Administration of Customs China, with specific information about the name, address and registration code.
Every year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam will provide a list of growing areas before the export season, which will be appraised, approved and published by the General Department of Customs China.
At the request of Chinese authorities, fresh Vietnamese bananas must strictly comply with the management process before export, including the management of planting areas, packing facilities, quarantine procedures and the phytosanitary certification by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam.
In addition, shipments of Vietnamese bananas must be exported to China through border gates approved by Chinese customs.
The demand in the Chinese market for imported banana products is increasing in recent years. The Philippines, Cambodia, and Ecuador are the largest banana exporters to the market of 1.4 billion people.
