The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) is proposing to ease the requirements for imports of cape gooseberries (physalis) from Colombia into the US.

The fruit is already authorised for import into the US market provided it is treated with a cold treatment for Mediterranean fruit fly, according to a notice from USDA-APHIS.

But Colombia is now seeking permission to ship commercial consignments from specific areas that have been recognised as free of Medfly without such cold treatment.

Those recognised production sites include areas of the Bogota Savannah and neighbouring municipalities above 2,200 meters of elevation in the departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca.

Under the proposed rule, as a condition of entry, the fruit would be subject to a systems approach that would include establishment of pest-free places of production, labelling of cartons prior to shipping and importation in commercial consignments.

In addition, the fruit would have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organisation of Colombia certifying that it has been produced in accordance with the systems approach.

USDA-APHIS said it will consider all comments that we receive on or before 15 October 2013.

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