Argentina: Return of lemon to US, a fundamental affair
In every meeting between Argentinian authorities and the United States, the request for the Tucumán lemon to re-enter the North-American market is always on the table. The management started more than 10 years ago, at the end of 2001, right after a judicial presentation by Californian citrus farmers caused the closing of the North-American market to Tucumán citrus, after two seasons of fresh fruit exports.
Now, while food safety studies demanded by the United States are being finalised, the Government in Tucumán announced pending actions to gain some time in the coming stages of the process, like political discussion and commercial aspects.
Some days ago, the governor José Alperovich suggested that they are waiting for an imminent visit to Tucumán by the Argentinian ambassador to the United States, Jorge Argüello, so he can check "in situ" the citrus culture situation. The tour is linked to the commercial mission to California that is projected by Tucumán lemon producers.
While that, the Agronomic Institute of Paraná (Iapar), in Brazil, is on the final stage of the study that pretends to show that the lemon seeds are not transmitters of CVC (Citrus Clorosis Variegada
The secretary for Productive Development, Bartolomé del Bono, confirmed that Argüello's visit will be made Friday, but he underlined that it is fundamental in the process that the health plan block is overcome. "We are giving the first steps in the commercial part, but not in the political side", he clarified. The president of the Tucumán Association of Citrus (TAC), Roberto Sánchez Loria, explained that once Aphis approves the required information of Argentina, it will be published in the United States the so called "Propuse rules", proposed rules for the phytosanitary treatment in order to authorize NOA's citrus exports. The protocol publication is a 60 days process, adding a similar time period for oppositions to it to be presented.
Del Bono clarified that with the Tucuman businessmen tour to California, to happen between May and June, "we try to shorten the time periods, for when the phytosanitary is defined. It's expected that the technical studies results are concluded this year". The objective of the Argentinian citrus farmers is to establish commercial contacts that allow them to start again exports, right after the authorization for the lemon entrance. Tucumán is the main lemon producer in the world, with a yearly volume of 1.3 million tons, mainly exported fresh or as industrial derivatives.
The secretary for the Productive Development said that the direction to manage the export of lemons to the United States shouldn't affect on the discomfort caused in several countries by the decision of Argentina to establish obstacles to imports. "They are two completely different ways", he ended.
Source: Lagaceta