6 May 2021 –
South Korea’s agricultural ministry said Thursday it has adopted an electric certification system for the trading of plants, which paves the way for a faster customs clearance process.
The program will be launched Monday for plants traded with the United States, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
It will mark the first time for South Korea to fully launch the electric phytosanitary certificate system, or ePhyto, after the country had a pilot run in the previous year.
A customs official inspects a plant at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency office in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, in this file photo taken on Feb. 28, 2019. (Yonhap)
Some businesses have been facing delays in handing in paper certificates on time due to suspended air travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ePhyto system is also expected to help prevent losses and the forgery of documents.
The program is set to help exporters and importers save up to 10 days needed to issue paper-based documents as well.
“We plan to increase the number of countries operating the ePhyto system and will also lend hands to developing nations to adopt the program,” the ministry said in a statement