Thailand’s Department of Agriculture has paved the way for increasing the value of fruit exports to the Kingdom's biggest market, China, by meeting the standards set by that country.
The department will facilitate Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification for exporters, especially during the golden period of durian and mangosteen production in the South, as failing to meet the standards could lead to loss of shipments. Currently 425 southern fruit-packing plants have already been certified.
Department chief Sermsuk Salakpetch explained that Thailand currently exports 22 kinds of fruit to China valued at around Bt10 billion per year, especially durian, longan and mangosteen that are the favourites of Chinese customers. The two countries have agreed to share information lists of orchards and fruit-packing plants for mango, durian, longan, lychee and mangosteen. Meanwhile, China is sending the same information for apple, pear, orange and jujube to Thailand.
However, in a bid to raise the food safety standards of mutual fruit imports and exports, together with enhancing traceability so that an order to ban a shipment can be done on a case-by-case basis, the two countries have reached a food safety agreement for five kinds of fruit exported to the Thai and Chinese markets.
Source: thaivisa.com
