Egypt and Japan have started on Wednesday talks to lift imposed ban on Egyptian citrus exports among other agriculture products, including grapes and pomegranate. A committee of experts will discuss Japan's health specifications phytosanitary measures of imported products. Over the last few years, several countries have imposed bans on some agricultural products from Egypt, citing high levels of pesticides. Therefore, Egypt has been enforcing new regulations and inspection measures to ensure the quality of its agricultural exports. It introduced a new system under which crops are inspected several times while in the fields, after harvest, and after they are prepared for export. Earlier in May a report by the Central Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture revealed that Egypt's exports of fruits and vegetables rose to 1.7 million tonnes since the beginning of the new export season of fruits and vegetables. Ahmed al-Attar, Head of the Central Department of Agricultural Quarantine at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, said also in May that shipments exported to the European Union were in accordance with the international export quality standards. Egyptian agricultural products were exported to various countries without any obstacles, he added.
