New Policy for "Lucky Bamboo" Effective October 21, 2002

Please provide this new policy to the importers and brokers of this commodity at your location.

Plant Protection and Quarantine

October 2002

Effective October 21, 2002, "lucky bamboo" (Dracaena sanderiana) imported as cut greenery, filler, or under similar descriptions for use in the floral trade must meet U.S. import requirements found in 7 CFR 319.37.

"Lucky bamboo" is currently imported into the United States as either plants or cut greenery. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has determined "lucky bamboo" does not qualify as greenery under the cut flower regulations found in 7 CFR 319.74.

APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) experts have determined that because this product is capable of propagation, it must meet requirements for nursery stock and other propagative plant material, found in 7 CFR 319.37(Q37), to be allowed entry into the United States. PPQ has found that this product, after being imported, is often sold in the marketplace with promotional materials indicating they "grow like plants" and "can last forever." The biology of these plants is such that the material shipped as "cut greenery" frequently generates roots while in transit, which requires that the "lucky bamboo" either be entered as plants or be reconditioned to remove the roots. These factors have led USDA to make these changes in policy.

The new requirements include, among other things, an import permit, a phytosanitary certificate, and that the product arrive within the specific size limits. A copy of the Q37 requirements can be obtained from the PPQ Permit Unit Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits/plantproducts/nursery.html. Plant materials that do not meet those requirements will be refused entry. The reconditioning of plants that do not meet the Q37 entry requirements upon arrival may be authorized but only in rare circumstances.

USDA will continue to allow cargo shipments of "lucky bamboo" to enter the United States under the current guidelines until the new policy goes into effect on October 21, 2002. After that date, all "lucky bamboo" will be regulated as Q37 material. Reconditioning of the product is rarely authorized and is dependent on special circumstances and availability of resources at local plant inspection stations.

Mailed shipments of "lucky bamboo" are currently regulated as propagative material and will continue that status under the new policy.

Additional Information

For more information about the entry and inspection requirements for imported plants, contact your local PPQ plant inspection station at one of the following locations:

Hawthorne, CA
Phone (310) 725-1910 - Fax (310) 725-1913
(coverage includes Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Pedro, CA)

Honolulu, HI
Phone (808) 861-8494 - Fax (808) 861-8500

Houston, TX
Phone (281) 443-2063 - Fax (281) 443-7643

Jamaica, NY (John F. Kennedy International Airport)
Phone (718) 553-1732 - Fax (718) 553-0060

Linden, NJ
Phone (908) 862-2012 - Fax (908) 862-2095
(coverage includes Elizabeth and Newark, NJ; all locations in the Port of New York)

Los Indios, TX (Brownsville, TX)
Phone (956) 399-2085 - Fax (956) 399-4001

Miami, FL
Phone (305) 526-2825 - Fax (305) 871-4205

New Orleans, LA
Phone (504) 464-0430 - Fax (504) 465-0968

Nogales, AZ
Phone (520) 287-4783 - Fax (520) 287-6941

Orlando, FL
Phone (407) 648-6856 - Fax (407) 648-6859

San Diego, CA
Phone (619) 661-3316 ó Fax (619) 661-3047

San Francisco, CA
Phone (650) 876-9093 - Fax (650) 876-9008
(coverage includes Oakland, CA)

San Juan, PR
Phone (787) 253-4699 - Fax (787) 253-7837

Seattle, WA
Phone (206) 764-6547 - Fax (206) 764-3825

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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