Report No.230605

NEWS

- International -

Terms of Quarantine Agreed on Export of Fruits to Taiwan

Japan and Taiwan reached an agreement in principle on the terms of quarantine that will be applied to apples and pears etc. shipped from Japan to Taiwan, beginning in February. From February onward, Taiwan will ban in principle importation of fruits, which are host to parasite, from countries including Japan that are infected with peach fruit borer. However, countries will be able to continue shipping fruits in so far as they satisfy the terms of quarantine.

Taiwan announced in November 2005 its plan for banning import of 10 different items of fruits including apple, pear and plum from countries infected with peach fruit borer. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has been consulting with authorities of Taiwan to ensure that the ban does not lead to discontinuation of exports of apples, Nashi [Japanese pears], peaches and so forth which have hitherto been exported.

Contents of the quarantine measures Taiwan will apply to Japanese shipments from February 1 will be publicized on or around January 25.

Quarantine measures required of producing areas to observe consist of two parts: one is a set of temporary measures which is applicable to only fresh fruits of 2005 crops; the other a set of measures of permanent nature. The temporary measures have been set out for the 2005 crops because they have been already harvested.

Requirements for shipping 2005 crop of fruits include, 1) the grading and packing plants are approved by a head of plant protection station as qualified to ship to Taiwan and registered as such, 2) each of such grading and packing plant has, at least, one technical worker who has been trained to identify fruits hosting peach fruit borer.

Japanese exports of related fruits to Taiwan during 2004 were 9,458 tons of apples, 1,072 tons of Nashi and 365 tons of peaches.

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