(Unofficial translation)

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

PEACE INDEPENDENCE DEMOCRACY UNITY PROSPERITY

 

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

No.0950/DOA

Department of Agriculture

Vientiane Capital, date 08 June 2021

 

Instruction

            Dear: Director General of the Department of Agriculture and Agriculture Sectors in the Capital and Provinces across the country.

            Subject: implement conditions for the export of maize from the Lao PDR to the Kingdom of Thailand.

 

  • According to the Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine (Amended) No. 13/PM, dated 15 November 2016;
  • According to the Decision of the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, No.3825/MOAF, dated 18 August 2017 regarding the organization and operation of the Department of Agriculture;
  • According to the letter from the Department of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Thailand regarding the import of maize from Lao PDR to Thailand, No. AC 0914/1625, dated 20 April 2021.

 

In implementing, expanding the Law on the Protection and Quarantine of plants and facilitating trade of plants and plant products from the Lao PDR to the Kingdom of Thailand to align with the laws of Laos and the updated version of imported hygiene regulations of Thailand, which will be effective from 24 April 2021. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture issued an instruction as a basis for implementing the following:

  1. Types of maize that are allowed to import
  • Corn (food corn) scientific name Zea mays, including seed, cob corns and seed.
  • Maize seeds that need to be shelled or cracked corn into seeds, processed maize products and seeds for planting are not allowed to be imported into the Kingdom of Thailand.
  • Maize that cob corns need to be harvested when the corns are ready and peeled and cleaned without cracking the cob corns.
  • Corn seeds must be completely cracked.

 

 2. Must be free from quarantine pests

 - A list of quarantine pests of corn is detailed in the Annex.

3. Transportation

-  Corn for export to the Kingdom of Thailand is transported by road.

4. Import conditions

- The corn to be exported must be free of insects, microbes, plant diseases and various contaminants such as plant seeds, soil, plant debris, animal debris or animal remains and other contaminants that will be the vectors of pests.

-  Must be packed with new and clean materials.

-  Before export, corn must be treated with Methyl Bromide according to the following details:

  • Maize transportation must be loaded in a container or truck and must be packed with a waterproof to ensure the safety of plant hygiene. Before loading the maize into the vehicle, the National Plant Protection Agency must check to make sure that the container or truck is clean and free of soil, sand, plant debris and other contaminants that can lead to pests.

5. Inspection for export

- Inspection of corn pests must follow the principle of inspecting free from quarantine pests (Annex), if quarantine pests are detected, use treatment measures (paragraph no.4).

6. Issuance of plant health certificates

- The export of corn to the Kingdom of Thailand must have an original plant sanitation certificate with every package of corn products issued by the National Plant Protection Agency or the Department of Agriculture, the provincial and capital agricultural sector of Lao PDR, and to be in accordance with the import conditions of the Kingdom of Thailand.

 7. Inspections and measures for imports into the Kingdom of Thailand.

 - When the product package arrives at the import point or checkpoint of the Kingdom of Thailand, the authorities will carry out an inspection to confirm the authenticity of the documents related to the product package.

 - All packages must be clean and free from insects, diseases, microorganisms, other organisms and contaminants such as seeds, soil, plant debris and other vectors that carry pests.

- The inspection officer will consider and inspect the package of products that meet the conditions for importation in terms of phytosanitary, if pests are found, a collected sample will be sent to the research laboratory to identify the pests and must be detained to wait for the lab results.

- If insects are found during importation, the package must be treated in an appropriate way (if any), re-exported, or destroyed at the cost of the importer's responsibility.

- If a pest is detected that is not listed in the quarantine pest list of the Kingdom of Thailand (Annex), the package must be treated appropriately (if any), forwarded, or destroyed at the expense of the importer.

- If a pest is not included in the quarantine pest list of the Kingdom of Thailand, other organisms or contaminants that have the potential to be risk and detected such as pests, other organisms, or contaminants must take appropriate measures (if any). In this case, it may be re-exported, or destroyed at the expense of the importer's responsibility. The Thai Department of Agriculture reserves the right to temporarily suspend imports until a pest risk assessment is completed.

         

Therefore, this instruction is issued for publication and implementation.

 

Director General of the Department of Agriculture

Chantha Thipphavongphanh

 

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