The presidents of the National Service of Health and Agri-Food Quality (Senasa), Ricardo Negri, and of the Argentine Citrus Federation (Federcitrus), José Carbonell, signed an agreement assistance in carrying out the traceability system during the certification process of fresh citrus fruitca destined for the European Union and other markets with similar quarantine restrictions.
According to the statement, the vice president of Senasa, Guillermo Rossi, said that "in all the programs that we are agreeing with the different countries to comply with the requirements, Senasa carries out activities in the field, in packaging and prior to final shipment. The proposal to work with Federcitrus as a health entity, is precisely to maintain the development of this system that allows the destination country to have complete traceability and the guarantees of the work provided by Senasa. We will continue working with Federcitrus as we have been doing, in the opening of new export markets.”
Public-private interaction
In this regard, the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Nation, Guillermo Bernaudo explained that “Federcitrus will function as the operator of the traceability and control systems for the entire value chain for export, which generates a very interesting public-private interaction to develop. The participation of private activity is essential to combat diseases and pests, so with the signing of this agreement we are seeking to advance in that sense, kicking things off in relation to plant issues.”
“We expect to grow gradually in both production and export volumes, in the quality of the products we export and in the number of markets we reach, a task that cannot be done without Senasa since it plays an enormous role as a certifier of the quality of the fruit. We collaborate and commit to being part of this control task, which is essential to continue growing, that is why we signed this agreement. The challenge is to have more capacity to supply both the domestic and foreign markets,” said the president of Federcitrus.
Objective
The plan aims to ensure that the fruit Fresh citrus fruit produced in the NEA and NOA meets the traceability requirements of international marketsThese are those that establish the obligation to adopt different phytosanitary measures in the stages of cultivation, packaging, transportation, and point of departure, among others.
To achieve this, Federcitrus will assist and carry out the actions entrusted by Senasa seeking to ensure that the entire traceability process complies with international requirements, using established computer and technological systems.
Stages of the certification process
The operational work plan framed within Law No. 27.233, consists of ensuring the operation and safety of the traceability system for fresh citrus fruit, in which the National Directorate of Plant Protection of Senasa is responsible for regulating the certification process of these products and carrying it out in the successive stages of cultivation: production units, packaging establishments and requirements for phytosanitary export certification.
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