The US government has given its approval to imports of fresh longans from Taiwan into the country.
The US Department of Agriculture announced plans to grant the fruit access via its Federal Register website, stating it was 'amending the regulations to allow the importation of commercial shipments of fresh longan with stems from Taiwan into the US'.
As a condition of entry, the longan will be subject to cold treatment and, at the port of arrival, special inspection procedures for certain quarantine pests.
In addition, the fruit will have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate stating that the fruit was inspected and found to be free of certain quarantine pests.
The individual cartons or boxes in which the longan are shipped will be stamped or printed with a statement prohibiting them from being imported into or distributed within the State of Florida.
'This action will allow for the importation of commercial shipments of fresh longan with stems from Taiwan into the US, while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests into the US,' a USDA official added.
