Regulation

The Plant Protection Act 2006

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The characteristics of the Regulation

Type of regulation:
Import Permit - required
Description of the regulation:

Import Permit (CEREALS, GRAINS, LEGUMES, CEREAL PRODUCTS, STARCH AND BREAD)

Partner countries to which it applies:

All countries

Authority who issued the regulation:
National Plant Protection Office (NPPO)
Agricultural Services, Réduit.
(230) 465 4902
http://agriculture.govmu.org/
Contact: 
Mr N. Sobun (Divisional Scientific Officer)
moa_pathology@govmu.org

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How is the regulation enforced?

Authority enforcing the control:
Ministry of Health and Wellness
Food Import Unit
Atchia Building, 1st Floor, Mgr. Gonin St., Port-Louis
(230) 210-1345
https//health.govmu.org
Contact: 
Mr. Beeharee
moh.fiu@govmu.org

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The process in order to get compliance

Process for complying:

Fill out prescribed form attached and submit it to NPPO (Reduit) - Processing of application based on assessment of risk by NPPO.

Plant Import Permit is required.
 (PIP) - To minimise risks of introduction of pests and diseases through imported commodities which are potential pathways for their introduction and spread. 

Phytosanitary Certificate(PC) and Certificate of Inspection  are also required. (See filename: PC_CI-Plants.pdf  attached for more details).

Risk Categorization is as follows:-
 -Low Risk/Medium Risk: Formulation of new Phyto-sanitary measures / Import Protocol
 -High Risk: This requires Pest Risk Analysis / Consultation with relevant experts in the Bio-security Technical Advisory Committee.

*Pre-Market Approval and Health Certificate are required (See file attached).

For the purposes of this part - "Cereal product" includes flour, whole-meal flour, self-raising flour, oatmeal, maize-meal, rice flour, ground rice, glutinous rice, semolina, pasta, breakfast cereal, white bread, whole-meal bread and bakery product. "Grain product" includes sago. "Tuber product" includes corn flour,  tapioca flour, cassava flour and custard powder."

Prohibition:
(1) No person shall import, manufacture, process, pack, store, offer for sale or sell any cereal, grain, pulse, legume, tuber, cereal product, grain product or tuber product, whether packaged or otherwise, which -(a) has been contaminated;
 (b) shows evidence of infestation by rodent or other pests;
 (c) contains any foreign matter;
 (d) has been exposed to high humidity; or (e) is mouldy.
(2) No person shall import, manufacture, process, pack, store, offer for sale or sell any cereal product, grain product and tuber product unless it complies with the standards for each such product as specified in regulations 123 to 140.

 "Flour (1) Flour -(a) shall be the fine form of ground product derived from or separated during the milling of clean wheat; and (b) shall contain not more than 14% moisture;
(2) Flour sold or used for the making of bread may contain one or more of the
following acid ingredients as leavening agents-
(a) sodium acid pyrophosphate with or without mono acid calcium phosphate; (b) mono acid calcium phosphate with or without di-calcium orthophosphate; (c) tartaric acid; or (d) ascorbic acid as a bread improver.

(3) Flour sold or used for the making of cake, pastry or biscuit may contain permitted preservative as provided in Twelfth Schedule.

Whole-meal flour (1) Whole-meal flour -
(a) shall be the product obtained by milling sound, clean wheat;
(b) shall contain all the constituents of such wheat; and
(c) shall contain not more than 15% moisture, and not less than 2.5% of crude fibre.
(2) Whole-meal flour shall not contain any additive, except as otherwise provided in
Twelfth Schedule.

Self-raising flour - (1) Self-raising flour -(a) shall be any flour or mixture of flours to which baking powder has been
added; and(b) shall liberate not less than 0.40% carbon dioxide.
(2) Where self-raising flour contains calcium sulphate as dough conditioner, the flour
shall not contain more than 0.6% of calcium sulphate."
Compliance (2)    "Oatmeal  -(a) shall be the meal produced by grinding oats after removal of the husk;(b) shall contain not less than 5% fat; and
(c) shall contain not more than 2.5% of meal derived from grain other than oats.

Maize-meal -
(a) shall be the meal obtained by grinding maize;
(b) shall contain not less than 1.1% of nitrogen; and
(c) shall yield not more than 1.6% of ash on a moisture free basis.

Corn flour -(a) shall be the starch powder derived from any variety of cereal grain; and
(b) shall yield not more than 0.8% of ash on a moisture free basis.

Tapioca or tapioca starch
(1) Tapioca or cassava is the tuber of the plant Manihot Utilissima.
(2) Tapioca flour or tapioca starch or cassava flour shall not yield more than 1.5% of ash.

Custard powder or blanche-mange powder shall be the powder prepared from tapioca flour or corn flour or sago flour, with or without other food.

Rice flour or ground rice Rice flour or ground rice -
(a) shall be the product obtained by grinding sound, clean rice; and(b) shall not yield more than 1.5% of ash.

Compliance (3)    "Glutinous rice and flour (1) Glutinous rice shall be -(a) the grain of the plant Oryza glutinosa; and
(b) clean and sound grain from which the husk has been removed.
(2) Glutinous rice flour -
(a) shall be the product obtained by grinding sound and clean glutinous rice;
and (b) shall not yield more than 1.5% of ash.

Sago
Sago shall be the product derived from the pitch of the sago palm.

Semolina -(a) shall be the product prepared from clean wheat by the process of grinding and bolting;
(b) shall have a natural ash content of not less than 0.48% and not more than 0.80%; and
(c) shall have a granularity which is appropriate for semolina.

Pasta
(1) "Pasta" means any product which is prepared by moulding, or drying units of
dough or by steaming of slitted dough with or without drying.
(2) Pasta -
(a) shall be comprised principally of a cereal meal;
(b) may contain carbohydrate, egg solids, salt, edible oil and fats; or
(c) may contain food conditioner as provided in Fortieth Schedule.
(3) No pasta shall be labelled as containing egg unless the pasta has not less than 4% of egg solids calculated on a moisture free basis;
(4) No person shall import, store, expose for sale or sell a package of pasta which is
closed or sealed with a metal clip or similar device."
Compliance (4)    "Breakfast cereal -(a) shall be the product obtained solely from or by a combination of, any cereal that is uncooked, partially cooked, cooked or prepared with sugar, malt, honey, salt or any other food; and
(b) may contain food conditioner as provided in Fortieth Schedule;

Wheat germ -
(a) shall be the germ or embryo of the wheat grain, together with the bran and other parts of the grain unavoidably remaining with the germ during extraction; and (b) shall contain not less than 60% of the germ or embryo of the wheat.

White bread -
(a) shall be the product obtained by baking a yeast-leavened dough prepared from wheat flour and water;
(b) may contain permitted food conditioner as provided in Fortieth Schedule;
(c) may contain propionic acid or its potassium, sodium or calcium salts as anti-mould or anti-rope agent; and (d) shall have the following characteristics - (i) a moisture content of 35% for loaves of 100 g to 500 g; (ii) a moisture content of 40% for loaves of 1000 g to 2000 g;
(iii) a moisture content of 30% for bread commonly known "baguette" and "flute"; and(iv) a pH range of 5.3 to 6.0 in relation to mass per volume in 10% aqueous
solution.
   
Compliance (5):  "Whole-meal bread -(a) shall be the product obtained by baking dough composed of whole-meal wheat flour, yeast, edible salt and water;(b) may contain caramel in or on it as a colouring substance; (c) shall have the same moisture
 content as white bread as provided in regulation 138; and (d) shall contain not less than 1.8% crude fibre on a moisture free basis. Bakery product (1) Bakery product -(a) shall be any product other than white bread or whole-meal bread;
(b) may contain edible fat, milk or milk product, sugar, egg, salt, dried fruit, raisin, currant and sesame seed; and
(c) may contain permitted food conditioner as provided in Fortieth Schedule.
(2) No person shall sell bread which is not white bread or whole-meal bread unless it is sold as a bakery product in an appropriate section or area conspicuously distinguished from any section or area where white bread or whole-meal
bread is sold.

File of the process for complying:
PMA_PCCI_cereals.pdf
Average time to get compliance:
< than 15 days
Cost estimate to get compliance:

Fees Payable: Rs 50 (commercial permit); Rs 10 (non commercial permit)
    Inspection Fee: Rs 100 Material under Quarantine (Per Pot):

    Plant Import Permit: Rs. 50.00
    Processing fee: Rs 500 per consignment.
    Phyto-sanitary clearance fee: Rs. 100 per consignment.

Once I have it, what do I have to do:

Agricultural Clearance for Imported Plants and Plant Products at Port of Entry -

    Applicant calls at NPPO office to request for an appointment with NPPO Officer - NPPO Officer verifies document and issues a Certificate of Inspection after Inspection of product/consignment .

    After Clearance obtained if full compliance with Import conditions: Certificate of Inspection forwarded to (MRA) Mauritius Revenue Authority through importer / agent - If Import comply Partially with Import Inspection; Consignment is put in Quarantine for:-
    a) Heat Treatment ( Rs 350 /- m3)
    b) Pesticide Treatment (Rs 10 non-commercial ; Rs 75 commercial)
    c) Post Entry Quarantine in Green House or growers premises (3 months to 18 months depending on crop)

    In Import Consignment do not Comply with Import Conditions: Goods are either Re-Ship or Destroyed; (Incinerator destruction  Rs 5 per Kilo)

Validity of the compliance:
4 months
Required Documents to process:

Documents Required to be produced for Clearance;
  - Plant Import Permit;
  - Phyto-sanitary Certificate;
  - Air Way Bill;
  - Packing List

Authority delivering compliance:
National Plant Protection Office (NPPO)
Agricultural Services, Réduit.
(230) 465 4902
http://agriculture.govmu.org/

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