The Ministry of Agribusiness is preparing a resolution that will oblige all fruit and vegetable producers in the country to implement good agricultural practices (GAP) when growing these foods.
This was announced by the Undersecretary of Food and Beverage, Mercedes Nimo, during a plenary session of the 26th Annual Congress of the Argentine Association of Direct Sowing Producers (Aapresid).
Nimo said that the effective implementation of this regulation would take place in a two-year period for fruit production, and three years for the production of vegetables. These dates are different because the fruit market is much less atomized in Argentina and, therefore, should comply with all the requirements more quickly than the vegetable sector before the GAP is an obligation.
Characteristics
The main objective of the measure is to guarantee the safety and quality of the food that Argentineans buy, as part of the plan to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
In principle, it will include training tasks through technicians who perform extension tasks. "The idea is to control the agrochemicals that are applied: i.e. that producers apply the correct doses and the products approved for each variety. In addition, they should know how the fertilizers should be used and it's very important they know the quality of the water they use to irrigate," Nimo said.
The Undersecretary of Food and Beverages, Mercedes Nimo, spoke at a panel of the Aapresid Congress, along with the president of Senasa, Ricardo Negri, doctor Adrian Cormillot, and the honorary president of Aapresid, Maria Beatriz 'Pilu' Giraudo.
The official said that they planned to set up an online system where each producer can easily upload their data and their establishment's data, to facilitate inspection.
Formality
This initiative is also part of the State's strategy to decrease the informality in several agricultural food chains. The president of the National Service of Health and Food Quality (Senasa), Ricardo Negri, said that "a resolution will be issued soon forcing those who transport fruits and vegetables to have an electronic transit document called DTV-E, similar to the DT-E that is used for the hacienda transfers.
Source: clarin.com