Le An Hai, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department for Asian – African Markets, speaks at the workshop. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – The full introduction of theRepublic of Korea (RoK)’s positive list system (PLS) for agricultural chemicalresidues in foods is not only a challenge for Vietnam’s farm produce but alsoan opportunity for the country to improve its product quality to access toughermarkets.
Le An Hai, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industryand Trade (MoIT)’s Department for Asian – African Markets, told a workshop heldby the MoIT and the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in Ho ChiMinh City on June 21 to update Vietnamese businesses operating in agriculturalproduction and export on the PLS.
The RoK introduced the PLS for imported nuts and tropicalfruits in December, 2016, and the country plans to implement the PLS for allagricultural products starting from January 1, 2019, said Kwon Chan-hyeok, arepresentative from the MFDS.
All agricultural products and processed food importedinto the RoK or produced, processed, distributed or sold in the country aresubject to the PLS, excluding commodities used for purposes other than food,such as medicinal herbs, according to the MFDS.
The RoK is among Vietnam’s big agricultural productbuyers. The RoK’s imports of Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fisheryproducts rose from 700 million USD in 2015 to 1.8 billion USD last year,representing 3.4 percent of the Korean purchases of farm produce from overseas,Hai noted.
To maintain a foothold in the Korean market and made fulluse of the Vietnam–Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA), he urged Vietnamesefarmers and exporters to swiftly adapt themselves to the new requirements.
He also advised the firms to regularly get updates on thenew requirements and policies for imported goods from their foreign markets;and invest more in applying advanced technology in production and usepesticides more wisely to ensure food safety and sustainable development.
Some exporters attending the event voiced the necessity toproperly control the use of pesticides from the agricultural production todistribution. To this end, they will need cooperation of all those involvedlike farmers and wholesale buyers.
In addition, the government must also take tougheractions to effectively control the use of pesticides.
Disqualified food imports will be sent back or discardedso the Korean side recommended that, to avoid this situation, Vietnamesefarmers and exporters should check the maximum residue limits authorised by theRoK prior to the use on the website: www.foodsafetykorea.go.kr/foodcode.-VNA.
VNA
