The first batch of Vietnamese fresh vegetable has successfully been exported to the EU after more than a year suspension, the Center for Post-Entry Plant Quarantine announced on Friday.

Some 300 kilogram of basil from the Ho Chi Minh City-based Thinh Cat Co Ltd exporter has been shipped to the EU via air freight, the center said.

The vegetable is grown from a 10,000-square-meter facility that meets all hygiene and anti-disease standards, according to a center official.

The export batch has also passed customs clearance at the importing country, he added.

Thinh Cat Co is the first company to enjoy the suspension lift by the Plant Protection Department, which has agreed to grant quarantine certificates for local vegetable and fruit exporters after suspending the procedure for more than a year.

Five types of vegetables, including basil, sweet pepper, celery, bitter gourd and coriander, have been suspended from exporting to the EU since May 15, 2012 over food hygiene and disease issues.

In early 2012, the said produce failed to meet EU food hygiene and safety regulations.

The EU side thus announced that they would stop importing Vietnamese produce if five more batches of exports were found violating regulations.

The plant protection agency thus decided to temporarily suspend the quarantine certificate issuing, in order to avoid having other fruit, such as blue dragon or grapefruit, added to the EU’s blacklist.

Source: http://tuoitrenews.vn