The export of plant extracts must be cleared of four "roadblocks"

Recently, a batch of US $75000 Ginkgo biloba extract from a certain enterprise in Zhejiang Province was returned to China via Ningbo port due to the excessive pesticide content It is reported that in the first half of this year, 5 batches of plant extracts were returned to Ningbo port In the past five years, the plant extract industry in Ningbo has developed rapidly, and has become one of the characteristic export commodities of Ningbo The total export volume has increased from 39.96 million US dollars in 2009 to 61.4 million US dollars in 2013, with an average annual growth rate of 11% The enterprises are mainly concentrated in Beilun, Fenghua and other regions, and the number has increased year by year In the first half of this year, the city's export volume reached 31.87 million US dollars, down 6.7% year on year Industry experts believe that although the development of plant extract industry in our city has reached a certain level, the future development road is not smooth The first is the lack of standardization of industry development Plant extract products are different from food, medicine, health food or food additives in the usual sense At present, they are not subject to the management of "production license of industrial products" and "production license" of drugs and health products in China The lack of industry access and system constraints leads to the entry of some low-cost and low-quality products into the international market, which leads to trade frictions Due to the complicated classification of types and varieties, there are only recommended foreign trade industry standards for related products, and there is no relevant national standards and other mandatory technical regulations Most of the export products of enterprises are based on the quality terms in the contract, while the product requirements of the main export markets such as Europe and North America are very strict, and Chinese enterprises lack the discourse of product quality evaluation standards Right According to statistics, since 2011, 10 batches of export plant extracts in our city have been returned, mostly due to quality and technical indicators such as water content and effective substance content Second, the protection of resources is urgent At present, the artificial cultivated plant raw materials are inferior to the wild raw materials in terms of the extraction effect of effective ingredients and other indicators The consumption of natural wild plant resources in the plant extraction industry is increasing and speeding up However, the artificial planting industry in China started late and has a small scale, and the planting technology and management are relatively extensive, resulting in the decrease of economic reserves of relevant plant resources Under the influence of over cutting, the growth area and reserves of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, which used to be very rich in resources, have been reduced by 70% and 80%, respectively Many famous medicinal plants, such as Taxus in Yunnan and Ephedra in Gansu, are even endangered The decrease of resources leads to the soaring price of raw materials, which further affects the operation of enterprises For example, a plant extract production enterprise in our city reported that the price of the raw materials of Millenium tower extract has increased from 50 yuan / kg in 2010 to 270 yuan / kg in 2013, and the domestic market has formed a bad situation of "with or without price" Third, the quality of the enterprise needs to be improved In China, the concentration of plant extract industry is low, the comprehensive quality of enterprises is generally low, and the industrial competitiveness is weak The number of Enterprises above the scale accounts for less than 3% The vicious circle has formed between the limited profit space and the "winning by price" of enterprises The total scale of industry is small and the content of science and technology is low, which makes the price of plant extract products in China generally lower than that in the international market (such as Ginkgo biloba extract The export price of is less than 1 / 2 of the international average price The competition in the whole country leads to some illegal enterprises being inferior, and there are some illegal phenomena such as high price Ginkgo biloba extract mixed with low price rutin, pomegranate peel extract mixed with low quality synthetic ellagic acid, which further affects the export image of plant extract products in our city Fourth, trade barriers are increasing Since the implementation of EU traditional herbal medicine registration directive in 2004, developed countries and regions such as the European Union, Japan and South Korea, and the United States have followed up the implementation of quantitative inspection of effective substances and limited inspection system of heavy metals, pesticide residues, etc in recent two years, relevant certification has been comprehensively strengthened From January to June this year, nine TBT notifications involving plant extracts were issued through the WTO, an increase of 50% year on year Some laws and regulations have a profound impact on our plant extract industry For example, the UK banned the sale of unlicensed Chinese herbal products from April 30, 2014 So far, there is no official license for Chinese herbal products in our city or even in the whole country, which will inevitably affect the export prospects of plant extracts as pharmaceutical raw materials Enterprises must "strengthen themselves and fight tigers" The development of plant extract industry in our city is not only to catch up with fast, but also to be better Therefore, it is suggested that relevant enterprises strengthen themselves, improve their abilities and promote the healthy and orderly development of plant extract industry First, enhance market competitiveness Gradually get rid of the situation of mainly producing primary products, improve the degree of deep processing, expand the profit space, extend the industrial chain, actively learn from the latest international laws and regulations, technical standards of product requirements to organize production, and improve the technical content and profit level of products Second, the raw materials should be guaranteed both in quantity and quality Rational planning and utilization of natural plant resources, attention to the incremental cultivation of effective raw materials and plants, and reasonable harvesting, breeding, development and protection Fully consider the impact of environmental pollution, strictly monitor and test the key quality indicators such as heavy metals and pesticide residues in raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products Third, overcome difficulties and promote development Study and track the technical barriers to trade in the target market, master the formulation and revision of relevant technical regulations in real time, strictly control the source pollution, and comprehensively improve the separation and purification of effective substances and the detection of harmful substances.