General Administration of Customs: Six types of primary agricultural products removed from the official recommended registration list

Source: Farmers Daily

Recently, the General Administration of Customs held a press conference to introduce the new regulations for the registration management system of overseas production enterprises for imported food. The newly revised “Regulations on the Registration Management of Overseas Production Enterprises for Imported Food in the People’s Republic of China” and supporting implementation announcements were released, and the new regulations will officially take effect on June 1. Among them, six categories of primary edible agricultural products, including oilseeds and coarse grains, have been removed from the list of imported foods that require official recommended registration, empowering the development of imported agricultural product trade.

Li Jinsong, director of the Import and Export Food Safety Bureau of the General Administration of Customs, introduced that this revision is based on principles of international co-governance and risk management. It introduces four major innovative functions in terms of facilitation, while safeguarding the bottom line of food safety and continuously optimizing the business environment for imported food trade. Over the past four years of implementing the current system, more than 96,000 food enterprises from 178 countries (regions) have registered in China, and the total trade volume of imported food in our country has increased from 12.5 trillion yuan in 2021 to 13.2 trillion yuan in 2025, with a continuous enrichment of agricultural import categories.

Luo Jun, deputy director of the Import and Export Food Safety Bureau of the General Administration of Customs, stated that the formulation of relevant directory lists reflects a balance between development and safety. The “List of Imported Foods Requiring Official Recommended Registration” has been streamlined based on risk assessment, removing six categories of primary edible agricultural products, including oilseeds, coarse grains, fresh vegetables, dried beans, seasonings, unroasted coffee beans, and cocoa beans. Customs has issued relevant announcements to ensure seamless regulatory connection. However, high-risk categories such as cold storage for terrestrial animal-derived foods and aquatic products, including meat and seafood, still retain the requirement for official recommended registration.

It is reported that the new regulations bring multiple conveniences to agricultural import enterprises, with 95% of registered enterprises being able to achieve automatic extension of their registration validity period. Only enterprises dealing with meat and meat products, as well as bird’s nest and bird’s nest products, need to apply for extension, and the application period for extension has been relaxed to 3 to 12 months before expiration. (Farmers Daily All-Media Reporter Wang Shuai)

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