1. How to prepare for exporting agricultural products abroad?
Exporting agricultural products must comply with the following regulations:
1.1 General regulations when exporting agricultural products
General conditions for food safety:
Comply with regulations on limits of pathogenic microorganisms, residues of pesticides/veterinary drugs, heavy metals, pollutants, other substances that may be harmful to human health and life .
Regulations on food additives and processing aids in production.
Product packaging and labeling regulations.
Regulations on food preservation.
Ensure traceability of food.
Certificate of veterinary hygiene by the competent veterinary authority for fresh food, of animal origin.
Conditions for enterprises and production facilities:
Having an appropriate location, area, and safe distance from harmful sources, pollution and other harmful factors.
Having enough water meeting technical standards to serve food production and trading.
Adequate equipment, suitable for handling raw materials, processing, packaging, preserving and transporting products. Sufficient cleaning and disinfection equipment, disinfectant water, insect and pest control equipment are available.
Has a waste treatment system and is operated in accordance with the provisions of the law on environmental protection.
Keep records of the origin and origin of raw materials and the entire process of food production and trading.
Comply with regulations on health, knowledge and practice with people directly producing and trading food.
Ensuring the safety of tools, materials, packaging, preserving and transporting food.
1.2. Separate regulations for each agricultural product export
Exported agricultural products when exporting also need to meet the following regulations:
For the fruits:
Some fruits that are often exported are dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, coconut, jackfruit, mango, etc. Fruits when exported are not allowed to use preservatives (even biological preservatives). Sorting, harvesting and processing must be done quickly to avoid spoilage. Many businesses preserve fruit by washing with ozone water, keeping it cold, applying wax at the tip of the stem, etc.
For rice
Rice exporting enterprises need to have at least one dedicated warehouse with at least 5,000 tons of paddy, and facilities that meet the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. At the same time, there is at least 1 rice mill with a minimum capacity of 10 tons of paddy/hour.
For coffee
For coffee, when exporting abroad, a quarantine certificate is required, it is best for businesses to contact the import partner to ask about quarantine requirements to prepare in advance. There is also a certificate of origin (C/O) according to the ICO form.
For dry tea (tea)
Partners importing dried tea may require various types of permits such as certificates of origin, certificates of fumigation, phytosanitary certificates, medical certificates, and quality certificates. Enterprises need to confirm with the importing country to prepare full documents before exporting.
For vegetables
Vegetables and fruits are not banned for export, so they only need to meet the following requirements: product testing, product quality announcement, certificate of free sale and medical certificate.
For pepper
Pepper is a commodity that does not need an export license, does not need to pay export tax and VAT. Enterprises need to check whether the standard has fully met the criteria of the importing country or not. Some criteria that need to be checked are plant quarantine, irradiation, standard growing areas, pesticide content, packaging and labels, traceability, etc.
2. What is the procedure for exporting agricultural products?
In order for goods to be cleared for foreign export smoothly, enterprises must carry out the process of exporting agricultural products in 6 steps:
Step 1: Check agricultural products
Before carrying out export procedures, enterprises should check whether agricultural products are of standard quality and in accordance with the requirements of the import market. If the response is good, this saves time and costs, and gives the opportunity for the goods to be cleared later.
Step 2: Handling agricultural products and quarantine procedures
Exported agricultural products must satisfy some of the following requirements:
Agricultural products must be grown and harvested from an area with clean ingredients, Vietgap or GlobalGap certified.
Implement fumigation, irradiation, plant quarantine, making C/O in accordance with the prescribed order.
Ensure standards of quality, content and no residues of pesticides and pesticides inside.
Proper packaging, use cartons, sturdy packaging when packing, to limit damage.
Step 3: Prepare documents for exporting agricultural products
For agricultural products, enterprises are required to prepare all relevant documents, including:
Sales contract (SALE CONTRACT).
Commercial Invoice (COMMERCIAL INVOICE).
Red Invoice (INVOICE).
Packing list (PACKING LIST).
Booking with shipping/airline carriers (BOOKING).
Original Bill (ORIGINAL BILL OF LADING – BL).
Certificate of Origin (CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN).
Certificate of Quality (CERTIFICATE OF QUALITY / QUALITY).
Certificate of Origin (PHYTOSANITARY).
Fumigation certificate (FUMIGATION).
Certificate of Free Sale (CERTIFICATE OF FREE SALES – CFS).
Health certificate for food (HEALTH CERTIFICATE – HC).
Certificate of quantity and quality (QUALITY AND QUANTITY CERTIFICATION).
Radiation Certificate (RADIATION CERTIFICATION).
Note: Normally, documents such as sales contract, commercial invoice, packing slip, booking and original bill are the basic documents required when exporting agricultural products. Meanwhile, the types of certificates may arise based on Incorterms or according to the regulations of the importing country.
Step 4: Prepare for delivery
When the export procedures for agricultural products have been completed, the enterprise will next contact the shipping company to book containers to pack goods and prepare for customs declaration.
Step 5: Customs declaration
Customs procedures for exporting agricultural products are based on the data provided when packing the goods. After that, the enterprise declares customs electronically, opens the declaration, clears the goods and liquidates, and finally enters the ship book.
Step 6: Clearing agricultural products
Parallel to the customs clearance process for goods, businesses must attach bill details and submit VGM 2 days in advance to the booking shipping company. The purpose is to give the shipping line time to draft the invoice and send it back to you for inspection.
The above content is the required conditions when enterprises want to export agricultural products to foreign countries. If you have read through this article and have needs or questions about fumigation services, please contact AKNT Fumigation Joint Stock Company for free advice and answers to questions.
