China allows another 170 containers of bananas
“Our latest report from our team of pest management experts who are in China now said that 170 forty-foot containers of bananas have already been cleared of pests,” said Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala in a radio interview on Thursday.
The department had sent a team led by Bureau of Plant Industry Director Clarito M. Barron to Beijing last Monday to address the China’s recent decision to restrict the entry of Philippine fruit exports.
China had tightened requirements for the entry of fruits coming from the Philippines, after claiming it had found scale insects in several banana exports from the country. China now requires a full inspection of all fruit shipments from the Philippines. Previously, Chinese quarantine officials only checked phytosanitary clearances issued by Philippine quarantine officials.
Because of this, Mr. Alcala said that the department is set to take several measures to ensure the safety of the country’s agricultural exports. This, he said, would include reviewing the country’s export protocols.
