A Cebu-based dried mango exporter had to secure a mosquito treatment certificate (MTC) as part of export documentation for its products to enter China, a new policy that incurred additional costs and some anxieties to the exporter after his goods were temporarily held at the port.
“China added MTC after adopting new food-safety law last year in reaction to reported cases of infestation in that country,” the exporter said. He cited the local branch of the Department of Health (DOH) requiring exporters to obtain a fumigation certificate first before it may issue the MTC.
Rates by the DOH for issuance of such certificate ranges from P3,000 for 1,000 tons or less of shipment to P6,000 for 5,000 tons and above, he said. “We cannot tell whether this is a temporary requirement, nor can we tell if other countries will follow suit. I guess for as long as the [mosquito-borne] Zika virus is not controlled, this issuance will stay or even induce other countries to require it too,” the exporter added.
As part of the implementation of its revised 2015 food-safety law, the Chinese government requires export certificates for imports of food and agricultural products.
China has strict documentation requirements for most of these imported products, including those relating to quality, quarantine, origin and import control, and which can vary between products and product categories.
Imported food and food additives and food-related products shall comply with China’s national food-safety standards which shall include limits on such pollutants and other materials endangering human health; and requirements for labeling, marking and specifications, among others.
However, the MTC requirement is not directly mentioned in China’s food-safety law.
The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. and the Export Marketing Bureau of the Department of Trade and Industry have been trying to get documents on the policy from various Philippine agencies that are supposed to be implementing the requirement, but no success so far.