Root insights

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced on the 11th that it has newly designated beekeeping honey and flower pots as subjects for animal quarantine to prevent the domestic entry of bee diseases. The agency explained that this measure was established due to concerns raised in the beekeeping industry about the spread of diseases through foreign honey feed. Agency Director General Choi Jeong-rok said, "This new designation of quarantine subjects is for the development of the domestic beekeeping industry" and added, "We plan to conduct thorough quarantine with meticulous preliminary preparations to settle the system." According to the revision of the related notice, starting from November 27, when importing these items, it is mandatory to attach a quarantine certificate issued by the animal quarantine organization of the exporting country. It must be proven that the products were produced in a bee disease-free region or have undergone radiation treatment in a permitted facility. Items that have not undergone radiation treatment must undergo a detailed inspection for major bee diseases such as foulbrood, chalkbrood, and stonebrood. If disease pathogens or genes are detected in the inspection results, the entire quantity can be returned or disposed of. This measure was established due to concerns raised in the beekeeping industry about the spread of diseases through foreign honey feed, according to the agency. Agency Director General Choi Jeong-rok said, "This new designation of quarantine subjects is for the development of the domestic beekeeping industry" and added, "We plan to conduct thorough quarantine with meticulous preliminary preparations to settle the system." athena@yna.co.kr

Growers and traders in Rajshahi district on Wednesday suspended potato trading in all cold storages across the district in protest against what they described as excessive storage charges imposed by cold storage owners. Their announcement came at a press conference of the Rajshahi District Potato and Agricultural Commodities Cooperative Society. Leaders of the organisation claimed that trading had remained suspended in about 99 per cent of the district’s cold storages as part of the protest. They said that Rajshahi district had 36 cold storages, each releasing an average of about 1,000 bags of potatoes daily and their protest disrupted the marketing of nearly 36,000 bags of potatoes a day. Growers and traders at the press conference alleged that cold storage owners had syndicated to force the farmers and traders to pay unjustified charges despite falling potato prices. Iftekharul Islam Doni, acting general secretary of the cooperative society, said that potato storage had ...

Forest department intensifies efforts to recapture a tiger threatening workers near Vandiperiyar after it strayed into human areas.