MYANMAR Inspection and Testing Services Ltd, an enterprise authorized by the government for conducting inspections, has checked 103 rice mills owned by 42 companies, and the final selection of companies that will be allowed to export rice to China will be made by early July, according to a press statement released by the Myanmar Rice Federation.
According to Article 3 of the SPS Protocol (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocol), an inspection of rice exporters and rice mills is mandatory, which is in keeping with the criteria set by the General Administration of Customs China (GACC).
The inspection pro - cess was explained during a coordination meeting, held on 7 May, which was attended by representatives from the MRF, the Plant Protection Division under the Agriculture Department, the Consumer Affairs Department under the Commerce Ministry, MITS, and companies engaged in the rice industry.
To ensure Myanmar rice meets the SPS protocol, a 13-member supervisory committee on the exportation of Myanmar rice to China has been formed.
The members of the committee include the MRF president, a member central executive committee, and the general secretary. The Permanent Secretary of the Commerce Ministry has been appointed as the chairman of the committee, while the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation has been made the vice-chairman, and the Director of the Consumer Affairs Department has been appointed as the secretary of the committee.
A technical working group has also been formed to help the MITS carry out inspections. The working group includes officials from the Agriculture Department, the Consumer Affairs Department, the MRF, and the MITS.
Based on the outcomes of the meetings of the supervisory committee, the Agriculture Department will make the final selection of rice companies that can export to China.
An agreement on observing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocol in Myanmar’s rice exports to China was due on 24 September, 2018 and extended till 2020, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation. — GNLM (Translated by EMM)
