. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/GTM/26 
15 April 2004 
 (04-1702) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   GUATEMALA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): 
  Section II (Vegetable products):  Chapter 6:  Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots 
and the like; cut flowers and orname ntal foliage;  Chapter 7: Edib le vegetables and certain roots 
and tubers;  Chapter 8: Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruits or melons;  Chapter 9: Coffee, 
tea, maté and spices;  Chapter 10: Cereals;  Chapter 11: Products of the milling industry; malt; 
starches; inulin; wheat gluten;  Chapter 12: O il seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous 
grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal pl ants; straw and fodder;  Chapter 13: Lac; gums, 
resins and other vegetable saps and extracts ;  Chapter 14: Vegetable plaiting materials; 
vegetable products not elsewhere specified or  included;  Chapter 18: Cocoa and cocoa 
preparations;  Chapter 24: Toba cco and manufactured tobacco subs titutes;  Chapter 52: Cotton. 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Trading 
partners of Guatemala 
5. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Ministerial Decision No. 617-2004. 
Provisions Applicable to the Importation, Ex portation, Transportation and Movement of 
Plants and Plant Products and By-Products  (7 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:  Requirements for phytosanitary import permit management, the 
authorization or prohibition of the return of shipments, the transportation or movement of 
transit shipments (length of stay and route, ex tension of stay and prohibition of transportation 
or movement), the determination of border posts and inspection of shipments, and final 
provisions repealing Ministerial Decision No. 679-99 of 27 August 1999. 
7. Objective and rationale: [    ] food safety,  [  X ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, 
[   ] protect territory from other damage from pests  
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:        
 
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Ministerial Decision 
No. 617-2004 of 24 February 2004 (7 pages, in Spanish). 
 G/SPS/N/GTM/26 
Page 2  
 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   Guatemala, 24 February 2004 (published in the Official 
Journal) 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Guatemala, 28 February 2004  
12. Final date for comments:  60 days as of the date of notification  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [    ] National notification 
authority, [  X ] National enquiry point, or add ress, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  
13. Texts available from: [    ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
 Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación 
 Unidad de Políticas e Información Es tratégica, Area de Información 
 5ª. Avenida 8-06, Zona 9  Ciudad Guatemala 
 Tel.:  (502) 361-7786, 334-1048 
 Fax:  (502) 361-7783  E-mail:  informacion.upie@maga.gob.gt  
  Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación 
 Unidad de Normas y Regulaci ones, Area Fitozoosanitaria 
 7ª. Avenida 12-90, Zona 13, Anexo Edificio Monja Blanca  Ciudad Guatemala  Telefax:  (502) 475-3058, 475-3068 and 475-3074  E-mail:  correo@unr.gob.gt and onp@unr.gob.gt