The Argentinean agriculture and food certification and quality agency (Senasa) has announced the signing of a new trade agreement with Russia which will ensure the South American nation access to Russia’s lucrative fruit import market.
Senasa chairman Jorge Amaya confirmed to the local press yesterday (7 October) that the organisation has accepted the conditions imposed by Russia concerning new regulations for maximum pesticide residue levels on imports of Argentinean apples, pears, citrus and table grapes.
Under the deal, Russian authorities are free to visit Argentina to examine the country’s residue control systems for fresh produce items, while shipments from Argentina which repeatedly fail to comply with regulations could be restricted access to Russia.
The agreement also reportedly states that all fruit which enters Russia must be accompanied by a security certificate, which indicates the level of pesticides, nitrates and nitrites on the fruit.
Certificates must only be issued by private state laboratories and may be subject to verification by Russian authorities.
The agreement between Argentina and Russia is said to be similar to the fruit import deal signed by Argentina and the European Union.
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