The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has lifted the ban on Philippine marine and aquatic products, except shrimps, through a note verbal issued by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA).
In an update by the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Export Management Bureau (EMB), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) said the ban on shrimps stays due to the presence of infectious diseases like Hematopoietic Necrosis, White Spot Syndrome, and Acute Hepatopancreatic Disease.
The ban on meat products has also been lifted as a result of various discussions between the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the SFDA. Meat establishments in the Philippines that intend to export to KSA may now apply for accreditation to export.
Philippine authorities are also required to submit a list of establishments that plan to export meat and aquatic products.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will handle the certification process for fresh and frozen products and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prepared, processed, and preserved products.
The Philippines is now consolidating a list of establishments that intend to export to KSA for ocular inspection by SFDA, earliest in 2024, as part of the accreditation process.
Establishments that have completed the accreditation process will be able to export to KSA.
The KSA has, previously, required the submission of a system evaluation form from all countries exporting meat, poultry, and marine products.
Pending the review and approval of the submitted System Evaluation Form, the SFDA has imposed a ban on the importation of Philippine meat, poultry, fish, and aquatic products.
In 2019, the Philippines exported about $5.5 million worth of meat, poultry, fish, and aquatic products to the KSA.
The ban, however, halted Philippine exports of these products to the KSA from 2020 up to the present. The KSA imports of meat, poultry, fish, and aquatic products from the world reached $2.6 billion.
The EMB said the lifting of the ban on meat and aquatic products from the Philippines by the KSA is welcome development and urged exporters to comply with food safety regulations to ensure continued market access to KSA and other export markets.