In order to export more oranges and grapefruit to Japan and Europe, citrus producers from Nuevo León will start a phytosanitary pilot plan to obtain a recognition from the National Service of Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (Senasica) that will allow them to operate production zones that are free of fruit fly.
This will allow producers from Nuevo Leon to market citrus fruits that have a longer shelf life at a better price.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), together with the Secretariat of Agricultural Development (Sedagro), the State Committee for Plant Health of Nuevo Leon (Cesavenl), the Citrus Growers from Nuevo Leon Fund for Agricultural Insurance, and the citrus farmers of the entity, established an agreement of understanding to launch a pilot plan to send oranges of the Valencia variety far from the American continent.
"The citrus fruits of the state that are marketed within the country and those that are sent to the United States and Japan are subjected to mandatory disinfection with methyl bromide. This recognition would allow producers to mobilize the fruit without this quarantine process," stated Virgilio Bucio Reta, a delegate of Sagarpa in Nuevo Leon.
The pilot plan is expected to favor 900 to 2,000 hectares of citrus fruit from the municipalities of Linares, Montemorelos, and General Teran.
Sagarpa is participating in the general coordination of the project, as a consultant and giving technical assistance, while the Senasica will grant the official recognition of free zone of the fruit fly, Bucio Reta said.
The participants of the project said that obtaining this recognition will depend on the commitment of citrus farmers, the actions to be carried out in health care, the trapping in the orchards, and the economic contribution made for chemical and biological control, among other tasks.
On July 5, the producers will present their final work plan to the authorities. Hopefully, they will they will obtain the first recognition in December, and achieve optimal results in the next harvest.
Source: elfinanciero.com.mx