The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) stated that the first cargo of Mexican table grapes, which weighed 16.7 tons, had already arrived in Australia.
According to the agency, the shipment, which was made up of 2,040 plastic boxes with 8.2 kilograms of table grapes each, left Sonora and was exported through the port of Manzanillo, Colima, and arrived in Melbourne, Australia, in July.
The National Health, Safety and Agricultural Food Quality Service (Senasica), which is part of the SAGARPA, also stated that four vineyards in Sonoran, which have more than 300 hectares devoted to the producing grapes, had participated in this shipment of table grape.
The shipment consists of 3,345 kilos of the Summer Royal variety, packed in 408 boxes; 11,709 kilograms of Flame grapes in 428 boxes, and 1,672.8 kilos of the superior variety in 204 boxes.
Last May, the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) officially announced the publication of the phytosanitary requirements for the importation of table grapes from Sonora, Mexico, to Australia.
This was the result of the efforts initiated by the Mexican organization in June 2014, when the phytosanitary and biosecurity requirements started to be reviewed.
In November 2016, the DAWR announced the publication of the Final Report of the Pest Risk Analysis to begin the export of Mexican table grapes to that country in Oceania.
As a result, in June of this year, Senasica sent a list of vineyards and packaging facilities that comply with the phytosanitary requirements demanded by Australia to the DAWR, so Mexico could start exporting its table grapes to that country without any setbacks.
According to data from the Agricultural Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), Mexico produces 283,000 tons of fresh grapes per year and per capita consumption of this fruit stands at 1.5 kilograms per year.
The state of Sonora is the national leading producer, followed by Zacatecas, Baja California, Queretaro, Guanajuato, Coahuila, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Durango, and Baja California South.
The country exports 58% of its national production, i.e. just over 163,000 tons valued at 159.5 million dollars, to 10 countries. The main consumers of Mexican grapes are the United States, Japan, Central and South American countries, and now Australia.
Source: eleconomista.com.mx