Phyto Sanitary Certificate

The Phyto Sanitary Certificate is a requirement by most states and foreign countries for before trading raw plant products, whether importing, exporting or transhipment.

The commodity being exported or imported also need certain standards or criteria, which outline usually depends on the preference of the importing country or state. These requirements on standards and criteria pertain to storage pests, plants diseases, chemical treatments and weeds. Other countries also require inspections on the field where the plant product is harvested during growing or cultivating season. This is prior to the issuance of the Phyto Sanitary Certificate. However, what is applicable to all plant product certification is the usual inspection of the product before shipping.

Most often, the purpose of the issuance of the certification is for the facilitation of the entrance of plant products from the United States of America (USA) to the country of destination. This is being done by certifying that the plants the company is about to export were duly inspected and conformed to all commodity entry requirements, specifically formulated for plant products.

For the company that exports phyto product and wants to secure Phyto Sanitary Certificate, their responsibilities are as follows:

1. PORT OR ORIGIN

At the port of origin and destination, the exporter must present the Phyto Sanitary Certificate to the Bureau of Customs or to other similar authority.

2. PERIOD OF APPLICATION

The exporter must apply for a Phyto Sanitary Certification two (2) to three (3) weeks prior to exportation or shipment of phyto products.

3. INSPECTION READY

The shipment must be packed in a way that it is available to be inspected by the proper authority. The plant products must be accessible or perceivable by the certifying official. Otherwise, the official cannot validate nor certify that the products are licensed to be exported and in accordance to the criteria indicated in the certificate.

4. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Other countries might require additional certifications or processes before you can export or enter plant products to their territory. This shall be accomplished few weeks prior to the shipment.

Some countries also have other trade policies for specific plant products. Even international conventions like the Conference of Parties (COP) declared restriction on export of several plants like the Hoodia Gordonii. The COP declared that the CITES Certification (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is required for any manufacturer and trading company involving Hoodia Gordonii. This CITES Certification is also presented in ports of origin and destination, just like the Phyto Sanitary Certificate.