Argentina: 'Lemon trade issues with US mainly political.'

Governor José Alperovich states that current issues obstructing the lemon trade from Tucumán, Argentina are chiefly a matter of politics: “We are really doing everything we can. We want to show that there is no question of anyone using polluting substances,” says Alperovich. The Governor added that the current state of affairs will not change until US presidential elections, but that attempts to diffuse the seven-year embargo is high on the Ministry’s foreign agenda. Argentinian President Christina Kirchner is also aware of the situation.

“So it’s a good thing the lemon is back on the national agenda,” says Alperovich. “We keep producing, and the sector creates a lot of jobs. Not just in the export of fresh fruit, but also in the factories handling lemon juice and citrus oil.”

Yesterday Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a presentation to the Comité Sanitario y Fitosanitario of the World Trade Organisation, has protested against the severe and on-going restrictions for lemons and meat heading for Japan and the US.

Source: Lagaceta