After three months of extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of Korea (APQA) officially announced on its website the import requirements for fresh grapefruit from Vietnam to South Korea.
South Korea agrees to import grapefruit from Vietnam. Illustration
Since 2018, the Plant Protection Department has initiated a market opening program for Vietnamese grapefruit exports to South Korea. However, the negotiation process was only accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic.
After two years of efforts, active coordination, and information exchange to facilitate the pest risk analysis process, and several rounds of negotiations, the Plant Protection Department and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of Korea reached a technical agreement during a bilateral meeting in April 2024.
On July 18, 2024, the Plant Protection Department also published on its website the draft requirements for plant quarantine and food safety for fresh grapefruit from Vietnam imported into South Korea, so that interested organizations and individuals can learn and be aware of these regulations in advance.
Accordingly, the regions growing fresh grapefruit for export to South Korea must register the growing regions and export packing houses, and the fruits must be classified, heat-treated, packed, and labeled according to the regulations.
In addition, export inspections will be conducted by plant quarantine officers from both South Korea and Vietnam, on 2% of the total number of cartons or 600 fruits per batch. If live flies are detected, the batch will be rejected, and the export inspection will be suspended until the cause is identified and corrective actions are implemented…
Thus, grapefruit is the third fresh fruit from Vietnam permitted to enter South Korea, along with dragon fruit and mango.
“The permission for Vietnamese grapefruit to be imported into South Korea is an important step, opening up great opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products to access the international market, while affirming the quality and reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in the world market,” said the Plant Protection Department.
