SAG signing

US and Chilean authorities have jointly signed a new edition of the pre-loading instruction manual as part of the nations’ phytosanitary programme to facilitate the export of Chilean-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to the US.

Chile’s Department of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG), together with the Chilean Exporters’ Association (Asoex) and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inked the revised protocol at a signing attended by SAG’s national director Francisco Bahamonde, Asoex chairman Ronald Bown and Carolyn Cohen of USDA-APHIS.

At the signing, Mr Bahamonde of SAG said the move served to uphold the good relations between Chile and the US, as well as further reinforce Chile’s trade links with key export markets such as the US.

The phytosanitary accord covers the certification for export of fresh fruits including clementines, mandarins, tangerines and kiwifruit.