Maria Jose Campos, Chile's Agricultural Attache in Brazil, stated that Chile and Brazil would be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) soon, which would open very good possibilities for different Chilean products, such as fruits. She made the statement during the Workshop on Updating Equivalence in Organic Products Regulations: "Implications and Opportunities that will be Generated with the Equivalence of Brazil and European Standards", which was organized by ProChile for exporting companies or organizations that have an export potential in the organic sector, and which was attended by representatives of ASOEX.
"This Memorandum of Understanding is an unprecedented event because Brazil doesn't have agreements of this type with any other country. This shows that Chile is a reference for this country regarding organic products. We currently have agreements on organic products with the European Community and we are in talks to sign a similar initiative with the United States," she said.
"The MOU will help determine the analogies and similarities of the certification systems between Chile and Brazil, which, through the application of an Operational Technical Plan issued by the SAG and signed by the technical authorities of both countries, will allow the free and recognized commercialization of Chilean and Brazilian organic products in the other country. That is to say, the organic products that comply with Chilean regulations may enter Brazil with the organic seal of that country, and the organic products that comply with Brazilian regulations may enter Chile with the Chilean organic seal," Campos added.
"The organic products category grows in Brazil at a yearly rate of 20 to 30 percent. In addition, the Chilean offer would complement the Brazilian offer, since the largest amount of organic consumption is in fruits and vegetables, which represents more than 50% of the organic products consumed in Brazil. We won't compete with these products. There is an interesting commercial space to develop."
"This Memorandum would give our apples, kiwis, blueberries and other products great possibilities. There are also opportunities for dried fruits, frozen fruits, and pulps, as they are low risk products that only need a phytosanitary certificate, without additional declarations to enter the market. The signing of this agreement, which we hope will be signed within the next few months, will open many possibilities for our products," she added.
In turn, Francisca Alvear, an expert in National and International Certification of SAG, said that the MOU's technical standard was ready, and that the only thing missing to begin operations was the signature of both ministers of agriculture. She also said that, apart from the necessary certification to take advantage of this MOU, which can be obtained through private organizations or certifiers, the products to be exported or imported must include the organic seals of Brazil and Chile.
Source: SimFRUIT
