The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) is urging exporters of plant commodities to China to ensure that their goods meet international standards following a new Chinese market policy.

In a letter addressed to Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) President Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr., BPI Director Glenn Panganiban said the registration period for Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has closed.        

GACC, the Chinese agency overseeing customs, will no longer accept shipments of specific plant commodities from unregistered companies beginning June 1.

The commodities covered by the registration requirement, regardless of export volume, include coffee beans, copra meal, areca peel, betel nut, and long pepper.

It also covers the fresh and chilled variations of buckwheat, green onion, and ginger.

Panganiban said interested exporters who missed the GACC’s registration deadline should coordinate with the BPI for an endorsement.

“We will make every effort to accommodate and endorse them through the Office of the Agriculture Counsellor at the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, in coordination with GACC,” he wrote in the letter.

So far, the BPI has started the endorsement process for coffee beans and copra meal, which are among the commonly traded commodities to China.

The status of the other commodities has been cascaded through the agency’s plant quarantine regional stations.

Moving forward, exporters in the select commodities will require a full market access request and Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), which

“This aims to ensure compliance with China’s updated import regulations and avoid trade disruptions,” said Panganiban.

GACC’s registration requirements for overseas and non-Chinese food manufacturers and processors are primarily focused on ensuring food safety and hygiene.