Measures taken to ensure vegetable supplies to Hong Kong and Macao

In the face of the ongoing torrential rains in south China that have caused severe damages to some vegetable farms for export to Hong Kong and Macao, AQSIQ has urged local inspection and quarantine authorities to take emergency measures to ensure adequate and sufficient vegetable supplies to the two special administrative regions.?

?Presently, there are 608 vegetable production bases with a total area of 700,000 mu(46,666 hectares)for supplies to Hong Kong, and 154 such bases with a total area of 105,000 mu(7,000 hectares) for Macao in Chinese mainland, all scattered in 25 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, said an officer from AQSIQ's Import and Export Food Safety Bureau. After floods caused by the heavy rains were reported, the inspection and quarantine bureaus in affected provinces, including Guangdong, Yunnan, Hainan, Hunan and Henan, promptly launched emergency plans and enhanced monitoring on vegetable bases. Certificate is issued quickly for qualified vegetables to ensure continuous supplies to processers in Hong Kong and Macao.

? The local bureaus provide 24-hour services for inspection of vegetables to Hong Kong and Macao, in a principle of being swift, considerate and helping. Huizhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau staffers, despite the bad weather, supervise the whole packaging process of vegetables and seal the transportation vehicles on the spot. The authority also simplifies inspection procedures and opened a "green channel" to step up release processes. Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has actively worked with the local agricultural departments to provide self-rescue materials for agricultural production, and held discussions with local processing enterprises, in a bid to find out countermeasures and help them solve difficulties in production.

? The local authorities have intensified testing of samples since the heavy rains swept these regions early this month, with more samples covered on a more frequent basis. Up to now, inspection authorities of Guangdong, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai have tested pesticide residues and heavy metal content in over 2,000 samples, and no substandard cases have been found. 1500 tons, or 260 carloads of vegetables are transported to Hong Kong, and 150 tons, or 30 carloads are to Macao every day.

? Special attention will be paid to the flooding situation in south China, said AQSIQ, stressing that it will give proper guidance to the local authorities to fight against the flood, and fully ensure vegetable supplies to Hong Kong and Macao markets.