A set of new rules has been exercised in east China's Shandong Province, the country's largest vegetable producing region, to help tighten control on pesticide residues on vegetables for export.

The provincial government enforced a set of criteria on pesticide residues as of June 1, which stipulate that businesses involved in vegetable exports should set up strong monitoring systems, and should only purchase vegetables from registered production bases.

Meanwhile, they should ask vegetable suppliers to provide certificates to prove that they have not used banned pesticides. Customs clearance will be denied for exports failed to meet the demand.

Officials from Shandong provincial government said the criteria would help improve the quality of vegetable production in the province.

China is the largest vegetable production country in the world as its vegetable output makes up 40 percent of the world's total.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2003)