The United States Department of Agriculture authorized the entry of the first load of fresh Peruvian figs, of the Black Mission variety, to the US, a market that has over 321 million consumers.
The product will be exported by the Peruvian company Agricola Athos at the request of the US North Bay Produce company. Agricola Athos will send the fruit to its plant in Illinois and directly to distribution warehouses. The fresh figs will be offered in clamshells and bulk packages.
"We are very proud that North Bay is the largest importer of Peruvian figs," said the president of North Bay, Mark Girardin, in a press release.
In August 2016, the US Agricultural Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved the entry of figs and pomegranates to the United States as long as they are subject to measures to mitigate the spread of plant pests.
The protocols for pest mitigation for Peruvian figs and pomegranates include irradiation, inspections, and a phytosanitary certificate of Peru's national plant protection organization.
Source: elcomercio.pe