Behind are now many years of negotiations. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published the proposed regulations for avocados and apricots from Spain. Both regulations will be open to comments for 60 days.
Although the USDA estimates the prospective avocado exports at around 200,000 kilos, Faulí considers that this figure will likely be higher due to the efficiency of Spanish growers and exporters and believes it will range between 300,000 and 500,000 kilos.
The new regulations, explains Faulí, will force the implementation of production systems that take into account the requirements for the import of commercial shipments, including the inspection and supervision of production areas and warehouses, the sanitary treatment of the plantations and inspections for pest control by Spanish health authorities.
Avocado batches not of the Hass variety will have to be treated for Mediterranean fruit fly control, whether before the shipment to the US or before their commercialisation. All shipments will need a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration indicating that the avocados have been inspected and found pest-free under the proposed requirements. This whole procedure will allow access to the US market, traditionally characterised by its strict regulations.
"Although the United States is a large avocado producer, it is also the largest import market since 2002," explains Asaja Malaga's technician. Ever since, the gap between imports and exports has considerably widened. The average annual value of US avocado imports (2008-2010) was of almost 622 million dollars, deeply contrasting with the annual value of exports, of less than 16 million.
In Spain, the 2011-2012 campaign closed with a total production of around 44,000 tonnes and the revenue generated reached 58,166,000 Euro.
