"The controls and phytosanitary measures applied to products of vegetable origin entering Costa Rican soil are properly supported by scientific and technical criteria and comply with the current national and international legal regulations to ensure the country's phytosanitary status and to strengthen market access," stated the Plant Health Service (SFE) of the Ministry of agriculture and livestock.
The statement responds to the protests issued by the spokesmen of the importing industry in different media about the decision taken by the SFE in May to implement a temporary suspension of avocado imports from Mexico.
"This measure is based on technical and scientific criteria. We have studies that prove that Costa Rica does not have the plague, while Mexico reported it in their territory in 2010," said the director of the SFE, Francisco Dall´Anese.
The Sunblotch plague appears in Mexico's official list of pests in 2010, according to that country's national phytosanitary surveillance system. In 2015, after a scientific study, Costa Rica determined that it was free from the plague and, following protocols, notifies the WTO, which, via its Secretary, informs the Member States.
Afterwards, in accordance with the procedures, the corresponding risks analysis procedure starts.
Among other ways, seeds can transmit the viroid. However, there are fruits that present symptoms and others that don't. The fruits with symptoms are not sold, but the ones that look healthy reach the markets and transmit the plague. If one of these seeds comes into contact with the earth, it produces the second transmission focus, as all it needs is to come into contact with another tree to pass the virus to it, cell against cell, and the healthy tree gets infected.
There are currently 7 countries from where you can import avocado because they don't represent any risk or are managing it through mitigating actions; these countries are Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, the State of California and Honduras.
"All the countries that participate in a globalized world of goods apply sanitary and phytosanitary measures to avoid repercussions due to the entry of pests. The pests can create economic damages, such as loss of production, increase in the use of pesticides, export restrictions, environmental issues, as well as health and social problems affecting employment in agricultural production, added Dall´Anese.
"Costa Rica can't neglect its phytosanitary status, just like any other country. We intercept products every day and we take the corresponding measures at the border to prevent the entry of pests. Not managing the risk of a plague entering the country compromises Costa Rica's future agricultural export potential," he said.
"Costa Rica has also been subject to restrictions applied by other nations seeking to defend their phytosanitary status. For example, it took the country 22 years to implement a program to open the US market for its ornamental plants, Dracaena spp. Furthermore, Mexico has applied restrictions that prevent Costa Rica from exporting to that market, products of plant origin, such as fresh pineapple, the ornamental Shefflera and Croton plants, cacao budwood, among other products," he said.
The SFE also clarified that Costa Rica hadn't closed its market to bananas, apples, beans, chilli, spices or other products. For these cases, the country is implementing standard phytosanitary measures at the entry points. These controls also ensure that the levels of pesticides in products for human consumption comply with the international maximum residue limits (MRLs) permitted.
"The sanitary and phytosanitary measures are based on the protection of human, animal and plant health, based on free trade," said the director of SFE.