After 17 years, the first shipment of fresh lemon exported by Argentina with certification from the National Service for Food Safety and Quality (Senasa) arrived in the United States on Friday (11.5.2018).
This first shipment of lemons to the United States with the Senasa certification of origin included 3 containers with 22 tons of fruit each, adding up to a total of 66 tons from Tucumán, which arrived at the American port of PhiladelphiaTo date, there are another 13 containers in the process of Senasa certification for a total of almost 300 tons.
The director of Phytosanitary Certification of Senasa, Martin Delucis explained that “Argentine lemon will meet the needs of the North American market. It is a market that we are going to take care of among all the sectors involved with great responsibility and commitment because it is very important for Argentina.”
“It is a great satisfaction for the entire citrus chain since it is a very demanding market. Getting this market reopened was a job that took many years., which involved provincial governments, the Ministry of Agroindustry, the Obispo Colombres Experimental Station, INTA, and the private sector," said the official.
Delucis said that “this achievement is accompanied by strict controls implemented by Senasa and that we take advantage of in this negotiation with the United States, such as the computerized traceability system, a tool that allows us to trace the origin of any type of problem that may arise, providing the necessary health guarantees to the American market.”
According to estimates from the private sector, during the current campaign, which runs from April to August, between 15 and 20 thousand tons of lemon could be exported from the NOA region – provinces of Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy – to the North American market.
The resumption of lemon exports to the United States is the result of 17 years of negotiations between Senasa and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture of the northern country (APHIS/USDA).
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