TẠP CHÍ ĐIỆN TỬ
Coconuts gain access to US market
Fresh, partially de-husked coconuts from Vietnam meet the US definition of a processed product, with negligible risk of plant pests being spread.
The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has given the go ahead to the importation of Vietnamese coconuts in the US market.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Protection Department, on August 7 the APHIS said it had completed updating the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) online database to approve the import of young, partially de-husked coconuts from Vietnam with at least 75 per cent of the green, outer shell of the husk removed.
Vietnamese producers can immediately begin shipping partially de-husked coconuts to the US. Because the APHIS has classified partially de-husked coconuts as processed products, the only phytosanitary requirement is that shipments will be subject to inspection at US ports of entry. It has already communicated this update to US Customs and Border Protection officials, to avoid any shipment delays at ports of entry.
As a result of the APHIS’s pest risk assessment, the unit determined that fresh, partially de-husked coconuts from Vietnam meet their definition of a processed product, with negligible risk of plant pests being spread.
This means that instead of having to pass through the lengthy new market access regulatory processes for fresh fruit and vegetables, the APHIS is instead able to use existing regulations for processed products to regulate shipments of coconuts with partial husks. This greatly expedites the timeline for APHIS approval of coconut imports from Vietnam.
“The agriculture ministry has also directed relevant bodies to boost official exports of coconut products to the Chinese market,” said Head of the Plant Protection Department, Huynh Tan Dat.
In April, at a meeting with the US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said procedures had been completed and the local market is ready to accept pomelos from the US. Mr. Hoan also proposed that the US side expedite the assessment process and open the door to coconuts and passionfruit from Vietnam.
