The reopening of the U.S. market to Argentinian limes is almost a reality. Since 2000, the U.S. has placed restrictions on the exports of the most important Argentinian limes produced in Tucumán. After years of discussions and difficult negotiations, a technical report would help reopen the U.S. market for the limes from Tucumán.
Exports have been stopped since 2000 when a group of California producers ceased buying the limes because they considered they were transmitters of bacteria. Now, everything could change after a scientific study confirmed that the Argentine limes, especially those from Tucumán, do not host the Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC) bacteria. Parallel to the study, it was determined that none of the country's citrus seeds, of any species, vertically transmitted the organism that causes the bacteria.
According to a report from the newspaper, El Cronista, the Agronomic Institute of Paraná in Brazil and the Agroindustrial Experimental Station Obispo Colombres reported the progress of their studies in a meeting between officials of SENASA and the USDA- APHIS.
The presentation was a success and SENASA reported that this "would help the process of approving the export of limes from the North-western Argentina (NOA) to the U.S. advance, which, consequently, will have a positive impact on the negotiations for the opening of that market to Argentinian sweet citrus." It is worth noting that Tucumán, the province with the highest lime production, currently exports more than 300,000 tons a year to the Northern Hemisphere.
Source: Lagaceta.com.ar