During his visit to Chile, Edward Avalos, the undersecretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), stated that on Monday, April 4, the USDA would publish in the Federal Register the proposed rules that modify the import requirements for fresh lemons and custard apples from Chile through a Systems Approach mechanism.
Currently, the US requires that Chilean shipments of fresh custard apples be washed and undergo a wax treatment to mitigate any risk of infestation in US soil. Meanwhile, lemon exports have to be treated with methyl bromide.
However, as announced by the authority of the USDA, these requirements would be modified by a systems approach mechanism so the production site or orchards for these fruits would have to be registered at the SAG annually and they would have to have low prevalence certification. The new measures would also require that these fruits be inspected in Chile by the USDA-APHIS inspectors. Additionally, the Systems Approach requires that all shipments be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the SAG declaring that the fruit was produced in accordance with the import requirements established.
After the news, the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche, said "this new alternative opens an important market for exporters of lemon and custard apples to the United States as this is identical to the measure covering oranges, mandarins, and clementines; which has successfully stimulated exports of these species. Thus, we expect it will be equally successful in these fruits."
Meanwhile, the national director of the SAG, Angel Sartori, said that "thanks to this new Systems Approach, the quality of the lemons and custard apples exported will improve as they won't have to undergo methyl bromide, soapy water, or wax treatments. These new conditions will allow to boost exports to this important market, which is certainly excellent news."
Good news for the Chilean fruit sector
In this regard, the president of ASOEX, Ronald Bown, stated: "This is very good news that has been long awaited by the sector. Once the final standard is approved, our lemons and custard apple will be eligible for phytosanitary inspection at source and won't have to comply with the current fumigation and wax treatments requirements. Thus, these fruits will reach the US market with a better quality and in a better condition, which will favor their marketing," he said.
Bown added: "This achievement has been made possible through a joint effort by the Agriculture and Livestock Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, whose work has been and is relevant to the growth of our industry."
The proposed standard for both species will be published in the USDA Federal Register on Monday April 4, beginning a review and open comments period for 60 days from the publication of the texts.
