Sao Paulo, June 28-An official from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said on Monday that Brazil has asked China to clarify certain details of the new national soybean standard, including how it will be implemented and evaluated. The new standard adjusted the quality requirements.
Glauco Bertoldo, head of Dipov, the vegetable product inspection department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the new soybean standard proposed by China is currently under discussion at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is expected to replace the 2009 standard.
The official said that China notified the WTO in February; Brazil is also revising its own soybean standards.
“When we discuss new national standards, we cannot ignore the standards of our biggest customer,” Bertodo said in an online conference organized by Embrapa, the national agricultural research agency.
Brazil is the world‘s largest soybean producer and exporter, while China is the main importer of Brazilian soybeans.
The new Chinese standard will stipulate related terms and definitions, classification, quality requirements, test methods, inspection rules, labeling, packaging, storage and transportation requirements for soybeans.
“Our first impression is that the Brazilian market will not be significantly affected,” Bertodo said. He added that in terms of certain quality parameters, China’s new regulations seem to be “less strict” compared to previous ones. (Finish)
Compile Xu Wenyan; Review Zhang Tao
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