The Department of Market System Development of the Ministry of Commerce ("MOFCOM") has recently released two industry standards, including the Management Specification for Commonweal Agricultural Product Wholesale Markets (Draft for Comment) (the "Draft for Comment"), to solicit comments from the units concerned by July 19, 2018.
The Draft for Comment provides for major functions, basic requirements, market management, public service facilities, information-based management, personnel management, etc. for a commonweal agricultural product wholesale market, and applies to efforts in regulating the operating management of the commonweal agricultural product wholesale market and safeguarding and playing its non-profit functions. As to the market management, among others, the Draft for Comment requires gaining the capacity to stabilize abnormal fluctuation in market prices, shaping stable supply channels, guaranteeing basic conditions to ensure food safety, and strengthening the application and promotion of green and environmental protection facilities. In terms of the management of dealers, the Draft for Comment clearly states that a dealer shall establish its product traceability system via creating ledger accounts for purchases and sales or otherwise, with a view to ensuring the quality safety of agricultural products, and it should have neither been involved in any food safety event nor been penalized by relevant regulators, in the last three years.