The pre-inspection of tobacco from Brazil took place, once again, without the presence of technicians from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) due to the pandemic. In the agreement with the GACC, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) was in charge of collecting samples of the processed product and sending them to the Analytical Centre of the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (Unisc) for laboratory tests that prove the plant health of Brazilian tobacco before shipment.

Fifty-one batches from seven Brazilian exporters were analyzed. All results were negative for the pests that are included in the agreement between Brazil and China. No pathogens were found and the products are waiting for the approval of the shipment by the Chinese authorities.

The official finish of the activities took place on 29 July, by videoconference, gathering representatives of the Union Interstate Tobacco Industry, exporters, MAPA, state Plant Health and Defence agencies, China Tobacco International (Brazil) and Unisc.