Uzbekistan, China Discuss Resuming Mung Bean Exports

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and China have discussed resuming mung bean exports by six Uzbek companies whose operations were temporarily suspended after a pest was detected in export consignments.

The meeting was held by Jamshid Urunov, deputy chairman of Uzbekistan’s Committee for Food Safety, and representatives of China’s General Administration of Customs.

The restrictions followed the detection of the four-spotted bean weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus) in 21 consignments of mung beans exported by six Uzbek companies. The companies’ mung bean exports were temporarily suspended from 1 September.

During the meeting, the sides discussed cooperation on plant quarantine and phytosanitary measures, the stability of Uzbek agricultural product supplies to the Chinese market and compliance with phytosanitary requirements for exports.

Specialist working groups from the Committee for Food Safety inspected the entire production process at the companies, covering the receipt, sorting and storage of mung beans, as well as fumigation, laboratory testing and container loading.

To address the identified shortcomings and ensure product traceability at every stage, from cultivation to export, the companies implemented a number of practical measures. These included building sealed fumigation chambers, dividing warehouses into separate functional areas and strengthening sanitary and laboratory controls.

The Uzbek side provided Chinese authorities with information confirming that the companies had fully complied with the established requirements.

The sides also discussed speeding up the inclusion of new companies exporting mung beans, beans, chickpeas, dried fruit, liquorice, apricot kernels and peanuts in the special register of China’s General Administration of Customs.

Phytosanitary cooperation between Uzbekistan and China is based on an intergovernmental agreement and 18 existing protocols.

In 2026, Uzbekistan received phytosanitary approval for 10 additional types of products. As a result, 38 types of products can now be exported to the Chinese market on the basis of phytosanitary certificates.