Imported Dominican cigar tobacco plant quarantine requirements, Inspection and quarantine basis:
Law of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, Regulations on the Implementation of the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine Law of the People’s Republic of China.
The Protocol of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic on the Phytosanitary Requirements for Cigarette Tobacco Exports to China in the Dominican Republic.
Imported tobacco products:
Nicotiana tabacum
Permitted origin:
Dominican cigar leaf production area.
List of quarantine pests of concern:
Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina
Sorghum halepense
Lasioderma serricorne
Pre-export requirements:
(Field management)
The Dominican Ministry of Agriculture (MA/RD) is required to implement preventive measures against tobacco downy mildew in the seedbed, and to investigate tobacco downy mildew (including cysts, hyphae, especially oospores) from transplant to harvest. Monitoring to ensure that tobacco leaves are not contaminated with tobacco downy mildew.
If it is confirmed to be a tobacco downy mildew, effective control measures will be taken to mitigate the impact of the disease.
If the oospore of the wheat downy mildew is found, the MA/RD shall immediately notify the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC, AQSIQ. CIQ) and suspend the export of tobacco leaves from the relevant producing areas to China.
The tobacco leaves to be exported to China must comply with the relevant Chinese regulations and requirements, and must not use pesticides prohibited by China.
MA/RD is required to monitor the use of pesticides in tobacco producing areas and to guide tobacco growers in the rational and scientific use of pesticides in accordance with international standards.
The pesticides used should be officially registered.
At the request of GACC, MA/RD provided GACC with a monitoring report on tobacco downy mildew in the current year, and notified the list of pesticides used and the drug use.
Process management:
Dominican cigar leaf production area.
The cultivation, harvesting, processing, storage and transportation of tobacco leaves should be carried out under the supervision of MA/RD to ensure that there are no quarantine pests, plant residues and soils of concern to the Chinese side, and to prevent the incorporation of tobacco from other countries.
If a live insect such as tobacco is found, the goods must be fumigated. If weed seeds such as false sorghum are found, effective removal measures should be taken.
Packaging requirements:
Tobacco leaves exported to China are sealed in a special packaging box to maintain the integrity of the goods. The following information is indicated on the package: leaf type, grade, origin, harvest year, processing plant, batch number and contract number.
Tobacco packaging materials should be clean, hygienic and meet Chinese phytosanitary requirements.
Containers carrying tobacco leaves should be clean and hygienic, without soil and other foreign matter.
Pre-export inspection and quarantine and pre-test of origin:
The MA/RD shall conduct inspection and quarantine on the tobacco leaves before export to ensure that the quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side are not carried.
MA/RD should be tested for pesticide and heavy metal residues. If there are tobacco leaves with heavy metals and pesticide residues exceeding the standard, they cannot be exported to China.
The AQSIQ and GACC will conduct pre-screening of tobacco leaves exported from Dominica with the cooperation of MA/RD. Only pre-qualified tobacco leaves can be signed for trade contracts and allowed to be exported to China.
If tobacco downy mildew oospores are found, the relevant goods and/or tobacco in the specific producing area will be immediately suspended from exporting to China. The MA/RD will conduct an investigation to propose and adopt effective improvement measures based on the identified causes and provide relevant information to the AQSIQ and GACC.
Requirements for phytosanitary certificates:
If the inspection and quarantine is qualified, MA/RD issues a phytosanitary certificate and fills in the following additional statement:
(“THIS BATCH OF CIGAR TOBACCO LEAVES COMPLIES WITH THE PROTOCOL OF PHYTOSANITARY REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPORT OF CIGAR TOBACCO LEAVES FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. IT IS FREE OF ANY QUARANTINE PESTS CONCERNED TO CHINA.”).
Import inspection and quarantine and unqualified treatment:
When the tobacco leaves arrive at the port of entry in China, the customs shall carry out inspection and quarantine in accordance with the following requirements:
(Verification of relevant certificates and marks.)
1. Check whether the imported tobacco leaves have obtained the Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit.
2. Check whether the phytosanitary certificate complies with the provisions of Article 5-(5).
3. Check whether the packaging complies with the provisions of Article 5-(3).
4. Check if the goods are in compliance and if the tobacco leaves have been pre-tested.
Disposal that does not meet the requirements:
If the tobacco downy mildew oospores are found, the batch of tobacco leaves will be returned or destroyed, and the GACC will immediately suspend the import of tobacco leaves from the relevant producing areas.
The two sides will conduct joint investigations and propose and adopt effective improvement measures based on the identified reasons. Based on the survey results, the GACC will determine the next season of registration for the region.
If heavy metal and pesticide residues are found to be excessive, the batch of tobacco leaves will be returned or destroyed. The two sides will conduct joint investigations and propose and adopt effective improvement measures based on the identified reasons.
If other quarantine pests of concern to the Chinese side are found, they will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its Implementation Regulations.
Annual review and record filing:
According to the needs, in consultation with MA/MD, AQSIQ and GACC will send quarantine officials to Dominica for retrospective field visits.
In the year when tobacco downy mildew occurred, AQSIQ and GACC will send technicians to Dominica to investigate the oospore of tobacco downy mildew.
The AQSIQ and GACC will conduct further risk assessment based on the occurrence and interception of the Dominican tobacco leaf epidemic and consult with MA/MD to adjust the list of quarantine pests and related quarantine measures of Chinese official concern.
