The Argentinean lemon industry is sceptical as to whether it will re-gain access to the US lemon market in the near future, following the proposition of further phytosanitary requirements from US authorities, according to a report by La Gaceta.
Just a few months ago, re-access looked very likely, but now Argentinean officials claim new import demands from their US counterparts would make exports virtually impossible.
According to Senasa's (Argentina’s National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality) general manager Diana Guillén, among the new demands are calls for the registration of all producer groups; monitoring (by laboratory analysis) of all groups before the start of harvesting; monitoring of all groves which show signs of Citrus Variegated Chlorosis disease (CVC); gathering of disease vectors to determine if they contain the bacteria; and exports from regions which are not citrus producers.
Ms Guillén said that no other country regulates CVC disease on fruit destined for consumption because the fruit shows no evidence of being infected by the disease. “We don’t have the capacity to carry out the laboratory analysis demanded,” she added.
Moreover, Ms Guillén pointed out that import regulations were already settled upon some time ago, only to be changed now. “We’ve agreed on the matter three times and now they require even greater demands,” she complained.
“There’s no consistent technical position and if we make room for these requests, other markets could also demand the same from us,” she concluded.
Industry representatives suggest the move is a protectionist measure, given that Argentina claims yellow mottle disease is not present in the country.
“They’re proposing these restrictions as a way of putting pressure on us,” added Roberto Sánchez Loria, chairman of the Tucumán Citrus Association (ATC)
“In 2000 Californian producers began legal action to prevent the entry of Argentinean lemons into the US and these moves are the same. We’re not about to give into anything that is irrational,” he warned.
Argentina recently launched a new standard called ALL LEMON – Tested & Certified for Export, in a bid to set apart Argentinean lemons on the market as a high quality and safe product.
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