Vietnamese fresh lychees allowed to be imported into Japan

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has just sent a letter to announce that Japan officially opens doors for direct export of fresh lychees from Vietnam, effective from December 15.

This is the result of more than five years of negotiation efforts between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the MAFF of Japan, along with several rigorous tests having been conducted in order to ensure thorough eradication of plant quarantine objects of Japan that might be carried by Vietnamese lychees.

Phytosanitary requirements for Vietnamese lychees exported to Japan include: lychees must be grown at orchards that are checked, supervised and granted codes by the Department of Plant Protection and meet regulations on plant quarantine and food safety of Japan; exported lychees must be packed and treated by fumigation using methyl bromide gas at facilities recognized by the Department of Plant Protection and the MAFF with a minimum dosage of 32 grams per cubic meter for two hours under supervision of Vietnamese and Japanese plant quarantine officers; batches of exported lychees must be attached with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Department of Plant Protection.

The Department of Plant Protection will continue to cooperate with export enterprises and treatment facilities to urgently complete preparations and seek for import partners to export the first batch of fresh lychees to Japan in next lychee crop.