Chairman of the union Tucamana del Citrus (ATC) in Argentina, Roberto Sánchez Loria, spoke to the press recently about some relevant issues in the citrus trade today. One of them being the importance of Asia, the other the battle against a possible outbreak of HLB in the region.
About the disease, Loria says growers of citrus fruits have the responsibility to prevent HLB, also known as Citrus Greening Disease. The appearance of the disease’s symptoms in the Misiones region has tested government officials’ resolve to battle the infection’s spread. Tucamana del Citrus played an important part in bringing the pressing matter to the agenda. “This year our efforts will have to be doubled to stay ahead of the curve,” he says. “ATC’s policy will be to do whatever is necessary to combat the spread of this infection. Right now we are working with regional government, Senasa Regional and Afinoa, to improve known defence mechanisms.”
Concerning progress on Asian markets Loria remarked: “Our activities in the Far East are getting increasingly important. Our presence there is expanding, we are breaking new ground.” A lot still has to happen to conquer Japanese markets, acknowledges the chairman: “We’re trying to influence current protocols,” he says, “in the field of distribution and cold storage for instance. Also, we are gathering proof that the lime, under normal conditions, is not a host of the fruit fly. If we can break open Japan on the basis of these developments, it will have positive repercussions on our trade with China, which has similar demands.”
Relations with the US are improving as well. “The news is that we are getting a foothold over there. Highlight of the year so far was a visit to the US with governor José Alperovich and the Argentinian ambassador. It really shows the commitment of several authorities to continue healthy trade relations.”
Source: Lagaceta