Citrus grown in any region of Peru could soon be shipped to the US following the publication of a proposed rule change by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (Aphis).
The decision comes after last month’s visit to the US by Peruvian agriculture minister Juan Manuel Benites Ramos, who was seeking wider access for a number of the country’s fruits and vegetables.
Speaking after the meeting, Benites said: “In the first year citrus exports from new production areas could reach 12,000 tonnes, rising to 14,000 tonnes equivalent to US$14m by year two”.
Current rules allow imports of fresh grapefruit, limes, mandarins, oranges, tangerines or hybrids, sweet orange and tangelos grown in five zones – Piura, Lambayeque, Junín, Ica and Lima under a systems approach. The new rule would extend this to the whole of Peru.
“This action would allow the importation of citrus fruit from the entire country of Peru while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests into the continental US,” Aphis said.
The body estimated that the rule change would increase the production area in Peru allowed to ship to the US to around 1,500ha over three years and that additional volumes were expected to reach 5,000 tonnes in year one, 6,500 tonnes in the second year and 8,000 tonnes in year three.
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