2017/18 MY became the benchmark of the fat-and-oil industry of Ukraine and China after the signing of the protocol of Ukrainian sunflower meal exports to China. Owing to the participation of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP) during the protocol conclusion, sunflower meal entered the market of China in 2017/18 MY. The details of the event You can read in the exclusive interview of APK-Inform with the Head of the SSUFSCP, Volodymyr Lapa.
— Volodymyr Ivanovych, to what extend the process of conclusion of the sanitary and phytosanitary standards protocol was demanding?
The issue of adoption of the sanitary and phytosanitary standards when entering the Chinese market is always the longstanding and difficult process. The opening of China’s market for the Ukrainian sunflower meal was not an exception.
During May 15-26 of 2015 there was a meeting of the specialists of the competent body of China in order to inspect the governmental control system of protein feed production on the basis of the plant component (in particular sunflower meal). According to the results of the meeting, we received the report with comments and suggestions and Ukrainian part worked it out and accomplished the relevant correct steps. The effective work of the Ukrainian part allowed us in June 2017 to make the next step – during the working visit to China I as a head of the SSUFSCP together with the representatives of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) have agreed and initialed the draft of the protocol of the sanitary and phytosanitary standards of the sunflower meal export. And in September 2017 after several negotiations and agreement of the technical issues with the Chinese part in terms of the II Conference on quality by AQSIQ in Shanghai, the SSUFSCP and AQSIQ have signed the protocols of the sanitary and phytosanitary standards of sunflower meal beet cake export from Ukraine to China.
Now, the wright to export the meal to China have been granted to 24 Ukrainian enterprises. We continue to develop thus issue.
— What documents are needed to receive the certificate for sunflower meal exports to China?
All of the production capacities that have filled in and provided as appropriate the documents for the competent body of China to evaluate, were included to the list of the allowed to export to China.
Moreover, the AQSIQ have developed the methodological recommendations that have the detailed information concerning the necessary set of the documents, registration requirements and the described application submission procedure.
Also, all of the production capacities that meet the requirements of China, have filed the necessary set of the documents and were reviewed with the compliance, have the ability to receive the right to export to China.
— What quality indicators should sunflower meal meet to export it to China?
In order to understand what requirements are put for our meal we should read the protocol. It clearly notes that sunflower meal exported to PT China must correspond to the China’s standards of safety and health of the feeds and must not contain the quarantine pests and other live pests and plant seeds, manure or animal carcass, feathers, soil and the GMO that are officially not allowed in China.
Having signed the protocol, we have obliged to keep with these requirements. In particular, we have assured our Chinese partners that meal we export is originated from the examined and confirmed by Ukrainian bodies enterprises. The Chinese colleagues approve the list of these capacities. The important thing to add is the fact that the enterprises determined to export to China must implement the regular procedures based on the principals of the system of the dangerous factors analysis and the critical point control (HACCP), provide the traceability approach. At the same time, they must enhance the sanitary control of raw materials, production and processing, storage of the finished product, transportation. These are necessary to prevent the sunflower meal contamination with the sunflower seeds raw materials, soil and manure, animal or plant carcass.
The protocol also prescribes the main storage requirements, packaging and transportation. Thus, for example, there is a requirement to storage sunflower meal separately from the raw materials or other finished products. The warehouses must have the effective precautions against rodent attack, pests and birds. The packaging sacks for meal must be clean and sanitary, and the transport facilities must be accurately cleaned and disinfected if needed.
The Ukrainian-Chinese agreements also specify that each cargo of sunflower meal must be inspected in terms of the physical and chemical indicators and followed by the international veterinary certificate and the original phitosanitary certificate.
This means that the signed protocol is the international agreement that both sides are obliged to fully comply with. And we are.
— The way from Ukraine to China takes more than a month. Are there any risks that the quality of sunflower meal will worsen during the transportation? What affects and how to avoid it?
I have answered this question partially. Of course there are always such risks. But if each part will follow the rules and technological processes the risks are minimized.
In any way, the protocol elaborates the plan of action due acts of God. As I have mentioned, the preparation of the export must be provided with the corresponding examination of meal for the heavy metals content, residue of the pesticide, microorganisms, mycotoxins, radio-contamination, etc. There are requirements to the packaging sacks, marking, containers, ship's hold, etc.
AQSIQ will carry out an inspection and the quarantine control of sunflower meal after the arrival. In case of discrepancy of the cargo with the requirements the measures provided by the protocol will be taken: return or elimination of the product, its disinfection or supply interruption. It will depend on the severity of the violation.
— What are the prospects of the Ukrainian sunflower meal exports to China?
According to the experts, China is one of the TOP-10 importers of sunflower meal from Ukraine. For example, since the beginning of 2017/18 MY Ukraine exporter more than 150 thsd tonnes if meal to China.
Moreover, this year there are more companies allowed to export meal to China.
Considering this, I estimate the prospects of export of meal to China optimistically. We can see the high interest of both the exporters and the Chinese market. All of these aspects will enhance the export increase by several times.
— Today China is the strategic partner of Ukraine in terms of agriculture and for the last years is one of the major importer of Ukrainian agriproducts. How do You estimate the results of the products export from Ukraine to China, which are in the list of the signed protocols?
After the several negotiations with the Chinese partners, questionary procurement, agreements, analytical researches taken by the AQSIQ experts, inspections and analysis of the phitosanitary risks of the Ukrainian agriproducts, in 2012 we have signed the Protocol of phitosanitary requirements of the export of corn from Ukraine to China.
In 2013 the same procedures were taken in Ukraine in terms of soybeans and barley. The result of this work was the signing of the Protocol of the phitosanitary and inspection requirements of the export of soybeans from Ukraine to China and the Protocol of the phitosanitary and inspection requirements of the export of barley from Ukraine to China by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and AQSIQ.
The signing of these protocols gives the opportunity for the Ukrainian agrarians to sell the crops to the biggest Asian market – to China.
In 2017 46 enterprises had the opportunity to export Ukrainian barley to China, 115 enterprises – corn, and 67 companies – soybeans.
In order to diversify the exports of the Ukrainian products of the vegetable origin and to enter the new international markets for the Ukrainian exporters, the Ukrainian service sent to AQSIQ the questionaries about wheat and rapeseed in 2012, and in 2016 the similar issues were sent concerning the cherry, apples, blueberry and sorghum.
— What the phitosanitary and sanitary protocols of exports of the Ukrainian agriproducts to China do You plan to sign in the near future?
This year in May we had the inspection of the Chinese competent body aimed to evaluate the production of cherry. Now we wait for the results in order to exercise further and sign the corresponding protocol. Moreover, we continue working over the opening of the Chinese market for Ukrainian honey, egg products, poultry, fish product, etc.
Interviewed by Viktoria Zelenaya, APK-Inform Agency
