Gov't invites Japanese inspectors to check local farm product quality

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, March 8 (Yonhap) -- The government said Sunday it has invited Japanese
health and quarantine officials to inspect local farms that have met quality
control standards for exports.
The move is designed to help fuel exports to Japan, which is the largest consumer
of South Korean-grown fruits, vegetables and seafood, the Ministry for Food,
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
"The inspectors from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare are to check farms
that grow chili peppers, tomatoes and sesame leaves during their week-long
visit," an official said.
The farms to be checked have been given special export identification numbers by
the state-run Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp. after meeting rigorous residual
pesticide control criteria.
He said quality control has taken on more significance after Tokyo introduced the
so-called positive list system (PLS) in May 2006.
The scheme designates pesticides that can be used and their maximum limits, while
pesticides not on the list are allowed into the country only if residual levels
are under 0.01 parts per million. This is equivalent to about two or three
spoonfuls of salt in a 24-square-meter swimming pool.
Enforcement of the PLS rules have disrupted exports of produce such as tomatoes,
which were found to have higher than permitted levels of flusilazole pesticide
early this year.
The ministry in charge of farm products also said that more efforts will be made
to harmonize pesticide rules between the two countries to reduce unnecessary
trade restrictions.
Since 2006, Tokyo has included on its list 18 pesticides used in South Korea to
grow peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, strawberries cucumbers and ginseng,
the ministry said.
In the future, Seoul wants Japan incorporate 10 additional pesticides in the PLS
scheme.
In 2008, South Korea exported US$1.43 billion worth of farm and fisheries goods
to its neighbor, up from 1.22 billion the year before. Vegetable exports,
meanwhile, totaled $79 million last year, up from $72 million in 2007.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)