Vietnam’s fresh pomelo licensed to export to RoK. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) of the Republic of Korea (RoK) has officially announced regulations for importing fresh pomelos from Vietnam on its website, according to the Plant Protection Department (PPD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Thus, pomelo is the third fresh fruit from Vietnam permitted for export to the RoK, along with dragon fruit and mango, marking a significant milestone and opening up great opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products to access international markets.

This approval helps affirm the quality and reputation of Vietnamese farm produce in the global market.

The department said in 2018 it initiated a programme to promote the export of pomelos to the RoK. Following active coordination and information exchange to facilitate the pest risk analysis process, and going through multiple rounds of negotiations, the PPD and the APQA reached a technical agreement in a bilateral meeting in April 2024.

According to the PPD, to meet standards for exporting pomelo to the RoK, the growing areas must register annually with the department. The agency will manage and supervise these areas to ensure that the pest species of concern to the RoK are kept at low density levels through pest monitoring and control activities.

Packaging facilities that sort and pack fresh pomelos for export to the RoK must also register annually with the department and undergo regular cleaning and inspections.

The list of registered pomelo growing regions, export packing facilities, and vapour heat treatment facilities must be submitted to the APQA before the annual export of fresh pomelos begins.

Businesses can access more detailed information on the APQA website at https://www.qia.go.kr or the unofficial Vietnamese translation available on the PPD’s website at https://www.ppd.gov.vn.