The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture has launched a new mechanism to enforce the terms and regulations governing the import of fruits and vegetables, effective 1 Muharram 1443 AH, corresponding to August 9, 2021, with the aim of supporting the sustainability of local production, ensuring quality control, protecting plant resources, and maintaining the flow of fresh fruits and vegetables to enhance food security.

The Ministry explained that the new regulations include specifying the varieties and quantities to be listed on import licenses based on local market needs, as well as regulating support services and transportation, and setting requirements for issuing import licenses and permits.

It noted that the mechanism is based on the agricultural quarantine system of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which stipulates: “No shipment shall be permitted to enter the country except under an import license and a phytosanitary certificate issued by the competent authorities in the exporting country,” in addition to the Kingdom’s implementing regulations for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Agricultural Quarantine System, which stipulate: “Any entity wishing to import plants, plant products, or materials subject to phytosanitary regulations must apply to the competent authorities for an import permit,” and reference to the international standards of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), which allow countries to impose requirements on imported goods.

The Ministry clarified that the new mechanism requires shipments of fruits and vegetables to comply with the provisions of the Gulf States’ Agricultural Quarantine System, as well as the technical regulations and specifications approved by the Ministry, explaining that if an import license expires, incoming shipments will not be cleared, and that the Ministry has the right to verify the quantities imported in accordance with each license, in addition to suspending shipments in the event of an outbreak of infectious diseases in the exporting country.