In accordance with the Administrative Measures for the Inspection, Quarantine and Supervision of Export Fruits and other relevant laws, regulations, and documents, as well as the requirements of importing countries or regions, the General Administration of Customs (GACC) implements a registration system for export fruit orchards and packing facilities.
I. Scope of Application
The Administrative Measures for the Inspection, Quarantine and Supervision of Export Fruits apply to the inspection, quarantine, and supervision of fresh fruits (including frozen fruits, hereinafter referred to as "fruits") exported from China.
II. Registration Guidelines
(I) Fruit orchards applying for export registration must meet the following requirements:
1. Continuous cultivation area exceeding 100 mu;
2. Free from pollution sources affecting fruit production in the surrounding area;
3. Staffed with full-time or part-time plant protection officers responsible for pest monitoring and control;
4. Implementation of a comprehensive quality management system. Quality management system documentation shall include organizational structure, personnel training, pest monitoring and control, agrochemical management, good agricultural practices, and traceability records;
5. No major plant disease outbreaks in the past two years;
6. Compliance with any special registration requirements stipulated in bilateral agreements, protocols, or importing countries' laws and regulations.
(II) Fruit packing facilities applying for export registration must meet the following requirements:
1. The facility must maintain clean premises with dedicated raw material storage and finished product warehouses meeting fruit preservation standards;
2. There are clearly segregated functional zones for fruit receiving, processing, treatment, and storage with proper layout, physically separated from living quarters at appropriate distances.
3. The facility must be equipped with quarantine-compliant facilities for washing, processing, pest and disease control, as well as disinfection and disinfestation.
4. The water sources used for fruit processing and agricultural chemicals applied must comply with food hygiene standards and the requirements of importing countries/regions.
5. A comprehensive hygiene quality management system shall be established, covering fruit supply, processing, packaging, storage, and transportation. Detailed records must be maintained for fruit traceability, epidemic prevention measures, pest detection, and hazardous substance monitoring.
6. Dedicated or part-time plant protection officers shall be appointed to oversee: implementation of epidemic prevention measures during raw material acceptance, processing, packaging and storage; control of hazardous substances; disposal of rejected fruits; and final product self-inspection.
7. The facility must either possess orchards with adequate production capacity to meet its processing needs or maintain established supply agreements with such orchards.
8. The facility is also required to follow additional requirements specified in bilateral agreements, protocols, or importing countries'/regions' laws and regulations for registration.
(III) Orchards applying for registration shall submit a written application to the local Customs office along with the following documents:
1. Application Form for Registration of Export Fruit Orchards.
2. Schematic diagram and layout plan of the orchard.
(IV) Packaging facilities applying for registration shall submit a written application to the local Customs office accompanied by the following documents:
1. Application Form for Registration of Export Fruit Packaging Facilities;
2. Facility layout plan, packaging process flow chart, and a brief description of the packaging operations.
3. A list of source orchards supplying fruits, along with copies of production and procurement agreements between the packaging facility and the orchards.
(V) The Customs shall examine the application documents in accordance with regulations to verify their completeness and compliance with relevant requirements, then make an acceptance or rejection decision and issue a written notification. If the submitted documents are incomplete or non-compliant, the applicant shall be notified of required corrections either immediately or within five (5) working days upon receipt of the application. Failure to notify within the specified period shall result in automatic acceptance of the application as of the date of receipt.
Upon acceptance of the application, customs authorities shall review the registration documents submitted by export fruit orchards and packaging facilities, and convene an expert panel for on-site evaluation.
(VI) Customs shall render a decision on registration approval or rejection within 20 working days from the date of application acceptance.
For applications processed by subordinate customs offices, preliminary review of documents shall be completed within 10 working days of acceptance. Upon successful preliminary review, the case shall be forwarded to the directly supervised customs office, which shall make a registration decision within 10 working days.
Directly affiliated customs offices shall submit the registry of approved orchards and packaging facilities to the General Administration of Customs (GACC) for official filing.
(VII) The registration certificate is valid for 3 years. Three months prior to its expiration, orchards and packing facilities must apply for renewal with their local Customs office.
(VIII) Registered orchards or packing facilities must apply to Customs for modification procedures if any of the following circumstances occur:
1. Expansion of the orchard's cultivation area;
2. Changes in the orchard contractor, responsible person, or plant protection specialist;
3. Change in the legal representative or responsible person of the packing facility;
4. Change in the registered orchard supplying fruit to the packing facility;
5. Change in the types of fruits processed by the packing facility;
6. Other significant changes.
(IX) Registered orchards or packing facilities must reapply for registration with Customs if any of the following circumstances occur:
1. Change in the orchard's location or types of cultivated fruits;
2. Renovation, expansion, or relocation of the packing facility;
3. Other major changes.
(X) Where bilateral agreements or protocols between China and the importing country/region explicitly require registration of fruit orchards and packaging facilities under the importing country's laws, such outbound orchards and packaging plants must first be centrally recommended by the GACC and obtain approval from the importing country/region's inspection and quarantine authorities before exporting fruits.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.
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