K-Paprika Makes First Export to the Philippines via Air Route... Quarantine Requirement Relaxation Negotiations Concluded After 11 Months

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 10th that it has made the first export of domestically produced paprika to the Philippines, 11 months after completing negotiations to ease export quarantine requirements.

Odae Co., Ltd., an agricultural corporation in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, exported 360 kg (56 boxes) of paprika that passed export quarantine to Manila, Philippines on the same day. While domestic paprika is exported to Japan, Vietnam, China, and other countries, this is the first export to the Philippines.

(Photo)

An official from the Quarantine Agency explained, "When the quarantine negotiations with the Philippines were concluded in 2014, exports were only possible via sea freight, but the Quarantine Agency has been steadily negotiating since 2022 and eased the export quarantine requirements in August 2023 to allow exports via air freight as well. This export is being carried out through air freight under the eased export quarantine requirements."

To export paprika to the Philippines, exporters must comply with the "Export Quarantine Guidelines for Fresh Korean Paprika to the Philippines" (Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency Notice), which includes registration of export cultivation sites and export quarantine complexes, management of pest and disease concerns raised by the Philippine side during cultivation, and undergo quarantine inspection by Korean quarantine officers.

Go Byeong-gu, head of the Plant Quarantine Department at the Quarantine Agency, said, "Taking this export as an opportunity, we will continue to discover new markets and negotiate so that domestic paprika and other Korean agricultural products can be exported to various countries."