Peruvian blueberries can now access the Canadian market following the official publication of the phytosanitary import rules by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The announcement, made by Peruvian safety agency Senasa, marks the culmination of four years of negotiations between the two bodies.
Under the new rules, all production, processing and packing sites must be certified by Senasa, and each export consignment must carry a phytosanitary certificate from Senasa stating that it is free of all pests, as well as an import permit issued by the CFIA.
The CFIA rules also set out the possibility of exporting blueberries that have been subjected to methyl bromide fumigation, who application should be evaluated by the exporters together with Senasa.
In addition to Canada, Senasa – which forms part of Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation – has been working on securing access to other markets including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, South Africa, Chile and Colombia, amongst others.
Peru has an area of approximately 1,000 hectares of blueberries planted mainly in the regions of La Libertad, Ancash and Lima. Currently the fruit is exported to the US, the Netherlands, the UK and Hong Kong. La Libertad-based El Rocio Group is the country’s leading producer and exporter of blueberries.
