Daphne Board of Directors Office       41st Issue      November 28, 2009

        To speed up development of the TCM materials, beef up supervision and implementation of TCM material GAP, and ensure safe and effective use of the drugs, pursuant to the Regulations on Normalized Management of TCM Material Production Quality (Tentative), on November 25 to 27, 2009, a review team of 3 headed by Mr. Xu Runde from the Chongqing FDA, as assigned by the national FDA, carried out panax notoginseng (PN) GAP recertification review at Daphne. They were accompanied by the officials from the provincial and prefectural FDA.
        The review team started the review by listening to report from technical manager at the Daphne PN Industrial Co., Ltd. on GAP plantation management. The Daphne PN Industrial Co., Ltd. was known as one of first eight enterprises successfully obtaining the national TCM material GAP certificate in 2003, which covered an area of 11000 mu (733.33 hectares). Over the past 5 years, under support of officials and experts from the national, provincial, prefectural and county FDA, they kept consistent exploration for better ways and patterns for building of the PN GAP bases, continuously improved their technical measures and management means, and developed their pattern of company + base + farmers.
        Madam Zhao Lirong, vice secretary general at the prefectural government, gave a detailed introduction to condition of the prefecture, particularly the prefectural Party Committee and government's attention to development of the Wenshan PN industry. She said, “since 1993, the prefectural Party Committee and government have placed their focus on economic construction, particularly development of the biological resource, and identified PN as one of the 6 major industries. Administratively, a PN research institute was formed in 1994 and the Wenshan PN Administration formed three years later. Legislatively, the Wenshan ordinance on development of PN, as a local code, was prepared in 1996, and adopted by the Provincial People's Congress in April 2009. The prefectural government promulgated methods for implementation of the ordinance in August 2009 to ensure fast development of the local PN GAP plantation business. Madam Zhao extended welcome to the experts and hoped their review would generate guidance for the local PN GAP plantation.”
        On the 25th day afternoon, the expert team visited the Daphne PN GAP plantation bases in Aolongke, Chahei and Shupi for site investigation, and checked for the PN GAP plantation, processing & sales, as well as supply of relevant supporting materials, technological promotion, consultation and production of other agricultural by-products.
        The review team concluded that the Yunnan Daphne PN Industrial Co., Ltd. did a good job in establishment and maintenance of the quality system and management system and passed the inspection. They were satisfied with the Daphne PN GAP plantation bases for all the assessment indicators were met.
        With respect to the existing deficiencies and problems, the expert review team stressed two points to promote building of normalized, standardized, sizable and branded TCM material plantation bases: further strengthening technical training of PN plantation employers in use of pesticides in so as to meet the requirements of normalized plantation, and stepping up communication on PN GAP plantation so that it is understood by all farmers.
        In the end, President Tang expressed opinions on behalf of the company. He said, “we are much inspired through the inspection. We will seriously implement the 6 corrective actions proposed by the expert team, in order to further improve our PN GAP plantation management system and live up to expectation of the expert team.”
        The review team, by listening, observation and check, did an overhaul according to the inspection program, and Daphne's PN GAP production and quality management. 78 items linked with PN GAP producer certifications were particularly checked, including 15 key items and 63 general items. In the meantime, they checked the PN GAP production process records and production site, and inquired the PN GAP plantation employers. No major defect was observed in the process.
        According to the assessment result, the Yunnan Daphne PN Industrial Co., Ltd. passed the PN GAP recertification review.