Biosecurity Requirements for New Exporters of Agricultural Products
One of the key mandates of the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) is to facilitate market access for Fijian agricultural products to viable export markets internationally. BAF works with a range of agencies and organizations to maximize export opportunities for Fijian agricultural products and to seek niche markets. Furthermore, BAF negotiates new market access protocols and amendments (revision) to existing protocols to ensure sustainability of our export pathways. BAF also works collaboratively with national stakeholders (such as the Fiji Ministry of Agriculture) and international counterparts in order to safeguard established export pathways for continued economic benefits to all Fijians. As investment prospects grow and an environment more conducive for export opportunities is created, BAF has recently responded to several inquiries from potential exporters of Fijian grown/Fijian manufactured plant and animal products respectively. In this week’s article we look at BAF requirements for new exporters of plant and plant products. To begin with, Fiji exports various types of fresh produce (for example okra, chilies, amaranthus, long beans, taro, taro leaves, jackfruit, cassava, moringa leaves and sticks, curry leaves, etc. – just to name a few) to many countries – our main trading partners being New Zealand, Australia, USA and Canada. We also have Bilateral Quarantine Arrangement (BQA) for selected fresh commodities that are either heat treated (eggplant, pawpaw, breadfruit, and mango) or exported fresh (chilies, plantain, pineapple) to New Zealand and Australia (pawpaw only). Fiji has also recently secured market to export fresh bele and heart of palm to New Zealand. A number of approved fresh and frozen plant products as well as a wide range of animal products are also exported to Pacific Island Countries. Additionally, kava has been a top commodity lately due to high prices both in the local and overseas markets. In order to export any plants or plant products, one needs to get registered with the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF). The export produce of interest must meet all biosecurity requirements of the importing country. Outlined below is a summary of the procedures to register and be able to export agricultural products out of Fiji to international destinations: In order to register yourself or your company with BAF, there are mandatory requirements that will need to be fulfilled before approval is granted to export. Also, to qualify for the Fruit Exporters License (FEL) under the Ministry of Agriculture which is facilitated by BAF, there are conditions applicable and documents required which must be submitted for issuance of new license or renewal. The following is a list of initial requirements to meet and documents to submit: The exporter must have in place an export pack-house also known as Biosecurity Approved Premises (BAP) for processing, inspection and storage of produce. More on BAP is detailed later in this article The exporter must submit business plan (for new companies) and/or recent audited accounts (company’s annual income tax return) for existing companies Details of bank account(s) Tax Identification Number (TIN) and VAT registration Business Registration Certificate Proof of compliance to FNPF minimum rate requirements The export registration requirements for nonBQA and BQA commodities are the same as stated above, however, how the commodities are grown and managed differs. EXPORT PACK-HOUSE The pack-house is an export standard facility which must meet all requirements set by BAF. It is an integral component for the export of plant products and exporters must ensure the pack-house has been constructed according to BAF specifications and has all necessary equipment in place before approval can be granted to process commodities in the facility. The following guidelines must be followed.
Location:
Must be in an ideal area free of hazardous odors, smoke, dust or other contaminants. The area should be free from flooding as well Must have appropriate roadways, preferably tar-sealed for easy accessibility Sanitary requirements: Adequate supply of fresh water High pressure hosing system must be installed for cleaning purposes Adequate drainage and waste disposal system must be in place Availability of hot water (where required) Cleaning schedules must be clearly defined and implemented Personal hygiene facilities must be available and kept clean at all times Convenience (bathroom and toilet) must be readily available; should be secured and away from produce processing areas Overall, approval of pack-house for processing export commodities is dependent upon: sound construction (insect proof and processing areas separated) provision of adequate working space for ease of processing and cleaning designed to prevent pests and other contaminants from entering/breeding designed to provide physical separation between processing points designed to accommodate unhindered flow in processing (that is, one way processing) must have concrete flooring, proper drainage and waste disposal system ceilings must not allow for dust accumulation (should be easy to clean) mechanisms must be in place to control temperature (good ventilation), windows should have anti-insect screens there must be separate storage rooms for food, ingredients and non-food chemicals there must be a general hygiene system in place Inspection facilities for Quality Control (QC) and Biosecurity usage: It is mandatory for the pack-house to have an inspection room with sufficient space, adequate lighting, fixtures, benches, tables and equipment such as magi lamps and magnifying glasses/hand lens Control of Food Hazards: Food safety should be maintained through food hygiene practices and equipment sterilization where necessary Facility should preferably be HACCP certified (HACCP = Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Cleaning Procedures and Methods: The pack-house must have a cleaning program which should be strictly followed (cleaning must be done on a regular basis) Adequate cleaning tools, chemicals, disinfectants and equipment must be available and used Active and integrated pest control system should be in place The processes inside the pack house ensure that the commodities are processed and packed in accordance with the commercial import standards or requirements of the regulatory authority of the importing countries. In other words, proper pack-house practices provides confidence to trading partners on compliance levels ensuring fruits and vegetables are processed according to phytosanitary specifications for export. The processing channel comprises of “commodity receiving area (from the farm gate)”, “cleaning and washing area”, “sorting and grading area”, “quality control room”, “BAF inspection room” and “storage” (refer to the pack-house illustration). Segregation of pack-house activities: It is extremely important that each of the processes are separated through physical barriers or spacing and occur in a “one-way” manner. The advantages of segregation is that it eliminates natural cross contamination of processed commodities with unprocessed ones (helps avoid transfer of pests) and reduces secondary cross contamination through handling by workers. Once the exporter is confident that he/she meets all the above requirements, he/she should submit all documentation to the local Biosecurity Office. All documents submitted to the station will be sent to the Trade Facilitation and Compliance Team for verification; then the export packhouse will be inspected and recommended for licensing.
FRUIT EXPORTERS LICENSE
What Under is the the Fruit Fruit Export Exporters and Marketing License (FEL)? Act Chapter 154, “fruit” includes vegetables, trees, plants, shrubs and roots and the unmanufactured products of trees, plants, shrubs and roots. The Fruit Exporters License allows individual exporters to commercially export agricultural products from Fiji. Also under the Fruit Export and Marketing Act Chapter 154, a fruit exporter’s license shall be valid for such period, not exceeding 12 months, as is specified in the license, being a period ending on 31 December in the year of its commencement. Subject to this Act and the regulations, the Permanent Secretary for Primary Industries (Ministry of Agriculture) may, upon receipt of an application in writing in that behalf accompanied by the prescribed fee (which currently is $5.45), grant to a person a fruit exporter’s license. Documents required: as above when registering an export pack-house BAF receives renewal and new applications for FEL on an annual basis. Application forms are readily available on the BAF website (www.baf.com.fj). Applications can be submitted at BAF stations conveniently located in all major districts around Fiji. The application is verified by locality BAF officers against the mandatory requirements. Just like with pack-house registration, the complete set of application with recommendation is then sent to BAF Headquarters where a final verification is undertaken by the Trade Facilitation and Compliance Team before preparing license to be endorsed by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture. The following fees are applicable (usually paid at the beginning of the year) for registration of pack-house and FEL: Registration of Export Premises (Plants) $576.28 (one time only for new) Annual Inspection & Registration of Export Premises $379.05 Annual Fruit Exporters License $5.45 Please visit your nearest Biosecurity office to further discuss in detail the needful requirements for export. The officers will also provide you with the New Export Application form and guide you on what information is required to fully complete the forms. The officers will also provide pack-house guidelines and assist in the set-up of the facility.