Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Egyptian frozen guava

CAIRO – 3 April 2018: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) decided to lift the temporary ban on Egyptian imports of frozen guava to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The SFDA said in a statement that imports are restricted to the establishments accredited by the authority.

In December 2017, Saudi Arabia banned importing frozen guava from Egypt due to pesticide residues that exceeded global standards.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Safwat al-Haddad said that talks with the Kingdom would be resumed to lift the ban of fresh guava according to the regulations set by the SFDA.

The Ministry of Agriculture is waiting for the Saudi decision to cancel the ban on the import of fresh guava according to the prior agreement between the competent authorities of the two countries during the recent visit by the delegation of Egypt, according to Ahmed el-Atar, chairman of Egypt’s Central Department of Quarantine.