Executives of the Pomina company of the Republic of China, Taiwan, which in 2017 started buying Honduran melons, have confirmed their interest in the oranges from Sonaguera (Colon), concentrated juice, and other citrus derivatives.
A large delegation of Taiwanese buyers met with the members of the Association of Citrus producers of Sonaguera (Acison) and the regional coordinator of the National Service of Agricultural Health (SENASA), Rafael Salazar, in order to arrange the first import of oranges.
"The buyers from Taiwan were interested in buying as much fruit as possible, including concentrated juice and other citrus derivatives. We already explained to them the work that the institution conducts with the producers of the Aguan Valley," Salazar said.
One of the requirements of the government of Taiwan is that the citrus farms are certified by Senasa, a unit attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG).
The Department of Diagnosis and Phytosanitary Campaigns will work with the producers and personnel of the Mediterranean Fly Program of the International Regional Organization of Agricultural Health (OIRSA) so that they can obtain the certification.
The representative of the citrus producers in the area, Carlos Morazan, said that the delegation from Taiwan, the partners of Acison, and the representatives of Senasa had discussed aspects related to the marketing of fresh fruit.
"The staff of Senasa are willing to develop a schedule of activities so that the orange achieves access to the Taiwanese market in record time," said Morazan.
Honduras is a benchmark in Central America as an exporter of citrus, especially sweet orange, followed by lemons, and grapefruit.
Honduras exports its products to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and part of Mexico.
Thanks to its geographical position, Honduras has the ideal climate to promote citriculture. Sonaguera, Colon, which has 44 thousand inhabitants, produces more than 45 thousand tons of oranges.
Source: latribuna.hn