The first shipment to China of 24 tons of fresh lemons produced in the province of Tucumán began to take shape, after complying with the phytosanitary requirements agreed between both countries, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Nation reported this Monday (22.06.2020).
The total exports agreed for the current year to the Asian giant amounts to 130 tons.
The load, a container with 24 pallets and a weight of 24 tons of lemon, will depart from the port of Buenos Aires aboard the Maersk Labrea ship on June 30 bound for the Chinese port of Hong Kong, the national portfolio specified.
«Thanks to all those who were part of this process, so that the sector is present with a regional product, representative of our country and that allows us today to reach the Chinese market to continue showing the world the quality with which we produce, especially in the current context of the pandemic that demands greater efforts from everyone, producers and the State."said the head of the agricultural portfolio, Luis Basterra.
The minister participated today in a video conference with the head of Senasa, Carlos Paz, and the Minister of Productive Development of Tucumán, Juan Luis Fernández.
«This first shipment involved many years of negotiation, almost 20 years, So it is more than a pride to have been able to achieve it."said Senasa President Carlos Paz.
For his part, Fernández expressed his "joy" that the Tucuman lemon has been able to add a new market.
During the video conference, the authorities greeted the exporters and the Senasa inspectors who inspected the cold treatment of the cargo carried out at the Almacén de frío company, in the Buenos Aires town of Carlos Spegazzini, Ezeiza district.
One of the requirements agreed upon between Argentina and China is that lemons must be treated with cold temperatures (between 2 and 3 degrees) during transit to prevent fruit flies.
«This is the first shipment of lemons to China under this new protocol, complying with all the requirements of the work plan signed with China, such as: that producers and packaging are registered; that they comply with all established phytosanitary measures with controls in the field, in packaging and in certification," explained the director of Foreign Plant Trade of Senasa, Martín Delucis.
Before starting this export, the list of production units, producers, packaging and inspectors authorized to begin the cold treatment was also sent to the Chinese authority, which approved it and published it on its website.
Source: Telam
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