Biosecurity Australia looks to have secured a new protocol that will greatly reduce risks for citrus exporters sending fruit to India.
Biosecurity Australia looks to have convinced Indian officials to accept intransit cold disinfestation at 3oC for a period of 18 days as sufficient defence against fruit fly incursion.
Under the current protocol India requires fruit from areas without fruit fly free designation, such as the Sunraysia and Riverina growing regions, to undergo onshore cold disinfestation treatment for a period of almost three weeks at 1oC before it can be shipped
This protocol significantly delayed total shipping time and presented a high chance of chilling injuries to fruit, Citrus Australia general manager of market development Andrew Harty told Fruitnet.com.
While Indian officials have agreed to the new protocol, Biosecurity Australia is still waiting on an official notification. India has indicated this should be provided in mid August, Mr Harty said.
The announcement will be welcomed by the Australian industry, which is currently struggling with a large crop of smaller sized fruit and a sky-high Australian dollar.
“This takes away all of the risk of fruit being damaged by the cold temperatures and the problems of fruit aging,” Mr Harty said of the revised protocol.“It’s come a little bit late in the season to have a major impact, but it is good news in the long term,” he added. “Our two big emerging markets are China and India. So, taking away any barriers is going to augur well for the future.”
