Export of Philippine frozen seafood to Qatar is set to resume following the lifting of import ban by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Qatar, the Department of Trade and Industry said.
While Qatar’s health ministry announced the lifting of the temporary ban, import restrictions on chilled seafood products from the Philippines remains to be in place as a precautionary measure to ensure compliance of shipments.
The MOPH also required exporters to submit a certificate of conformity issued a third party pre-shipment inspection body at the country of origin before the products are shipped for export.
There are four accredited third party certification bodies, namely the Bureau Veritas Philippines, TUV NORD Philippines, TUV Rheinland Philippines, and Intertek Testing Services Philippines Inc.
The temporary ban was lifted in November last year as a precautionary measure to monitor the risk of contamination of fresh and frozen seafood products with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.
Aside from the Philippines, Qatar also lifted the temporary ban on imports from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The DTI export marketing bureau urged Philippine exporters to continue strict compliance with food safety regulations to ensure the continued acceptance of their products in Qatar and other export markets.