The National Health Service, Food Safety and Quality (SENASICA) awarded the Teknolab Analysis of Pesticide Residues Laboratory approval for this type of specific studies.
The role of the laboratory, which is located in the town of Tancítaro, Michoacan, and is owned by producers, is to identify, confirm and quantify the pesticide residues in avocados, as well as ensuring this fruit's safety so it can be exported to markets such as Japan and the United States.
In a statement, the organization of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) stated that 80 percent of the avocados consumed in the United States were Mexican, and that 2 out of every 10 avocados that Mexico exported to the US were produced in Tancítaro, highlighting the productive importance of this region.
The general director of Agrifood, Aquaculture and Fisheries Safety of Senasica, Hugo Fragoso Sanchez, said the laboratory had been chosen because it met a strict protocol based on the international standard ISO 17025, that demonstrated that their tests and results were highly reliable.
He recalled that the avocado producers from Tancítaro had worked for two and a half years to achieve certification by the Mexican Accreditation Entity (EMA), and now from Senasica.
This is the second laboratory in the country that gets this distinction for the export of fruit and that meets the requirements made by Japan. It is also the first laboratory built by producers.
During the Assembly of Tancítaro's Local Board of Plant Health (JLSV), the official from SAGARPA stressed that this was a world-class laboratory that met international standards.
The Laboratory analyses the presence of pesticide residues in the product and makes sure that the levels do not exceed the limits set by the countries to which the fruit is exported.
It's worth noting that the Local Board of Plant Health of Tancítaro is one of the most important ones in Michoacan because of the quantity of avocado it looks after and the results it has had in plant health and safety issues.
Nearly 80 percent of the orchards of the municipality are incorporated into Senasica's safety scheme, which offers greater guarantees to consumers both at the national level and abroad.
The area certified by the Export Program in Michoacan amounts to 87,704 hectares, consisting of 20,199 orchards and 13,202 producers.
Currently, this Board looks after the greatest surface of avocado in the country, with almost 23,000 hectares, owned by more than 5,000 producers and 146,000 tons. It contributed 21 percent of the export volume of avocado in 2014, which amounted to 709,000 tons.
