Representatives from China’s plant health authority travelled to the north west of Argentina this week as part of an international mission during which they visited farms and see first hand the work being done by producers in Tucumán and Salta to implement the protocols required to commence exports to the Asian country.
Omar Chiarello, president of the Blueberry Producers’ Association of Mesopotamia (APAMA), said inspectors from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) “are in Argentina to evaluate our phytosanitary and quality protocols ahead of setting out the terms under which the market will open to Argentine blueberries”.
The visit follows an earlier meeting in Buenos Aires between the AQSIQ inspectors and Argentina’s plant health authority Senasa.
China is one of a number of new markets that the industry is working intensively to gain access to. At present, the US is Argentina’s biggest market, taking around 9,200 tonnes this season. It is followed y Europe with 4,100 tonnes and Canada with 500 tonnes.
