Dolefil’s Hass avocado hurdles anew annual Japanese audit

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 23 December) – The high-value Hass avocado variety mainly produced in South Cotabato successfully hurdled the recent annual audit conducted by the Japanese government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) said.

Gerald Glenn Panganiban, BPI director, said the MAFF team conducted last month the annual audit, which was facilitated by the National Plant Quarantine Services Division (NPQSD) stations in the cities of General Santos and Cagayan de Oro.

Polomolok, South Cotabato. Map courtesy of Google

During the inspection in Tupi, South Cotabato, he noted the MAFF team evaluated production areas to gauge compliance with export protocols, quarantine measures, and the quality standards established in the Philippines-Japan export agreement.

“The assessment verified the integrity of pest management programs, traceability systems, and packing house operations,” he wrote in an article published by The Manila Bulletin on Monday.

Panganiban said the MAFF team audited Dole Philippines, Inc. (Dolefil), the country’s primary exporter of Hass avocado, which is known for its distinct taste and long shelf life, to Japan. 

Dolefil is long known for pineapple growing, with a production and canning facility based in Polomolok, South Cotabato, It is an affiliate of Dole Asia Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Itochu Corp., one of the largest Japanese trading companies headquartered in Tokyo. 

In November 2024, Dolefil sent its inaugural shipment of Hass avocados to Japan, a trade flow that continues steadily, Panganiban said.

Throughout the MAFF audit, the NPQSD regional managers and plant quarantine officers provided vital technical assistance and field support, he added.

Panganiban stressed the annual audit underscores “the commitment of both nations to maintaining high standards for traded commodities, reinforcing Japan’s confidence in the Philippines as a dependable source of high-value agricultural products.”

These efforts align with Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.’s thrust to increase production and export quality, he said.

The BPI is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.

Before the Hass avocado shipment to Japan, Dolefil also exported the fruit to China.

Dolefil, which has been growing Hass avocado in the provinces of South Cotabato and Bukidnon and in Davao City since 2006, was issued export clearance by the General Administration of Customs of China in November 2019.

In March 2020, the firm sent its first shipment of 7,656 tons of Hass avocados from the port of Davao to Shanghai, China.

Hass avocados have also landed in South Korea, with Dolefil shipping 3,040 boxes in September 2023. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)