Argentinian Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman announced that negotiations with the United States following the restrictions imposed by that country for the import of Argentinian lemons are currently underway, and that if the situation is not resolved, Argentina will complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) .
Timerman pointed out that Argentinian lemons are going through a similar situation as that of fresh meat in the past, whose entry into the U.S. was banned for over 14 years.
"We continue to negotiate, but the lemons are still banned because of protectionist measures and the intense lobbying from producers in that country, especially those in California, who obviously do not want to compete with our products, which as everyone knows, are of the highest quality," said the Minister during a press conference held at the Government House, together with Economy Minister Axel Kicillof; and Agriculture Minister Carlos Casamiquela.
"We supply lemons to the entire world; we are the world's largest producer and only protectionist measures in the U.S. prevent our products from being sold in that market," added Timerman.
He said that, regarding this case, "President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner also insisted that if no agreement is promptly reached, the case will be brought to the World Trade Organization."
Argentina exported lemons to the United States up until 2000, when sales were interrupted due to a complaint from Californian producers, who argued that there were doubts about the fruit's phytosanitary safety, as it could eventually spread a bacterium; a position that was strongly rejected by Argentina's highest authorities.
The argument was challenged by scientific research presented recently in Argentina, which showed that Argentinian lemons are not a host of Variegated Chlorosis Citrus (CVC), stating that no citrus seeds in the country will vertically transmit the bacterium that causes it.
The results of the work, undertaken by experts from the Agronomic Institute of Parana in Brazil (IAPAR, for its acronym in Portuguese) and the Experimental Station Obispo Colombres (EEAOC) of Argentina, were discussed by authorities of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-APHIS) and the National Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa), in a recent conference call, as reported by the Argentinian agency.
At that time, the authorities of the U.S. organisation stated that the findings of the study coincide with those of the one conducted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture, which should serve to "move forward" in the process for the reopening of the U.S. border to Argentinian lemons.
