This means that Vietnamese longan has been allowed to export to Australia, becoming the fourth fruit allowed to export to Australia after litchi, mango and dragon fruit.
Before importing longan into Australia, importers are suggested to have a valid import permit issued by the Australian Department of Agriculture. Import permits are granted once all import conditions are met.
Prior to export, longan must be proven to be originated, produced and exported according to the required system of operational procedures to maintain and verify the phytosanitary status of the goods. Longan must have undergone the mandatory risk management measures.
To demonstrate compliance with the requirement, the Phytosanitary certificate must present the following additional declarations: “The fruit in this consignment have been produced in Vietnam in accordance with the conditions governing entry of fresh longan fruit to Australia and in accordance with the “Export of Fresh Fruits from Vietnam to Australia" Work Plan” and "Irradiated at a minimum of 400Gy."
Exported longan must not contain pollutants (for example, loose stem and leaf material, seeds, soil, animal matter/parts or other extraneous material) and any other foreign matters. Goods for export must meet at least one of the secure packaging options to make consignments insect proof and secure.
Packaged fresh longan must be labelled with sufficient identification information for the purposes of traceability, including product of Vietnam for Australia, fruit type, packinghouse code (PHC), treatment facility code (TFC) and treatment identification numbers (TIN).
Associated packaging and conveyances must not be contaminated by quarantine pests or regulated articles. Accordingly, all wooden material associated with the consignment used in packaging and transport of fresh produce must comply with the non-commodity information requirements policy.
Packaging must be synthetic or highly processed if of plant origin. No unprocessed plant material such as straw may be included in the packaging.
For sea freight transportation, containers must have been inspected by the Vietnamese functional plant protection agency prior to loading to ensure pest freedom and that the vents are covered to prevent entry of pests.
Vietnamese and Australian agencies have been working regularly to bring Vietnamese longan to the Australian market. The fruit has entered selective markets, such as the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the EU, all meeting standards related to free of pest, safety, uniformity, quality and availability throughout the year.
