Beginning on August 9, the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture will implement a new approach for importing vegetables and fruits (Muharram 1).

The system will halt the shipping of fruits and vegetables from epidemic-affected nations. The methodology seeks to promote local production sustainability, quality control, plant wealth protection, and the continued inflow of fresh vegetables and fruits to improve food security.

As per the Saudi Press Agency, the new guidelines include evaluating the amount and types of fruits and vegetables which are positioned in the import license based on the requirements of the local market; controlling support services and transportation; and creating necessities for issuing licenses and import permits.

The methodology, as per the ministry, is based on the agricultural quarantine process of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which mandates that no shipment is authorized to enter the country unless it is accompanied by an import license and a phytosanitary certificate issued by the appropriate authorities in the exporting country.

These are in addition to the Kingdom's executive regulations corresponding to the GCC states' agricultural quarantine system, which assert: "The group wishing to import plants, plant products, or materials subject to phytosanitary regulations tends to require an import permit to be submitted to the relevant authorities, and comply with international standards of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) that enables countries to impose restrictions on imported products”.

The ministry furthermore clarified that when an import license expires, incoming shipments would not be authorized to be discharged, and the ministry reserves the right to verify imported quantities in full compliance with each license and to cease shipments in the event of an outbreak of pandemic diseases in the nation of export.