During the last week of August, a delegation from the Plant Protection Department of Vietnam toured the production, packaging and certification areas of the Argentine fresh citrus sector, as part of the negotiations to open the Vietnamese market conducted by Argentina's National Health Service and Food Quality (SENASA).
According to SENASA, at the initial meeting, the staff of the National Plant Protection talked about the Certification Program governing fresh fruit exports in over 66 countries. They also made a presentation about the Citrus Traceability Information System (SITC), a tool that ensures traceability of each batch that is exported.
The Vietnamese delegation visited the Noa Sur and Entre Rios regional centres, where they evaluated the actions performed by SENASA in the field and in packing.
The delegation also visited a tax warehouse in the Metropolitan Regional Centre, where they were told about the operational procedures carried out before the final certification of a shipment destined for export.
The Argentine agency reported that Vietnam's entourage was satisfied with their visit, as they had praised the way in which SENASA implements the certification process and the work being done by producers and packers to get quality products.
The only steps remaining to open the Asian country to Argentine fresh citrus are that the Vietnam's Phytosanitary Service sends SENASA the final report of their visit as well as a proposal of phytosanitary requirements so that it be reviewed by and agreed upon by the Argentinian agency.
Source: SENASA / Fresh Fruit Portal