《TAIPEI TIMES》COA attempting to resolve delayed exports to China

By Yang Yuan-ting and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer

More than 100 Taiwanese seafood producers are unable to export their products to China for reasons so far unexplained by Chinese customs officials, the Council of Agriculture （COA） said yesterday, with the latest suspensions mainly affecting squid, Pacific saury and fourfinger threadfin producers.

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Council Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih （陳駿季） held a news conference to respond to rumors that the Chinese General Administration of Customs has banned the import of several more kinds of seafood from Taiwan.

The restrictions, if confirmed, would follow earlier import suspensions of grouper, largehead hairtail and horse mackerel, as well as other products from several Taiwanese food producers.

Chen said the COA is investigating the reasoning behind the delayed import approvals.

Chinese customs has not notified the council or the Food and Drug Administration （FDA） of its reasons for withholding import approvals for all but one of the companies, Chen said.

Chinese customs in April last year began a system requiring registration of all products entering the country.

More than 100 Taiwanese seafood producers and fishing boats registered by the Aug. 31 deadline, Chen said.

However, on the Chinese customs administration’s Web site, only one of the companies appear to have been granted approval, while the rest were labeled as “imports suspended,” he said.

The FDA is to communicate with Chinese customs to clarify the application process and any additional documentation that might be required, he said.

The products most affected are Pacific saury, fourfinger threadfin and squid, he said, adding that the volumes and value of affected goods are being calculated.

Honey and tea producers still have permission to export their products to China, Chen added.

From January to last month, Taiwan exported 11,125 tonnes of Pacific saury, 1,573 tonnes of which were bound for China, council data showed.

Of the 7,679 tonnes of fourfinger threadfin exports over the same period, 5,246 went to China, primarily as frozen products.

Seafood exports to China totaled 67,087 tonnes over the period.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES