The first five containers of Valencia oranges bound for Philadelphia are due to set sail from the Uruguayan port of Montevideo on Wednesday following the USDA’s recent decision to grant access to the US market.
Speaking to El Observador Agropecuario, Federico Montes, citrus advisor at the Uruguayan Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, confirmed that the fruit has been supplied by five companies – Citrícola Salteña, Urudor, Milagro, Forbel and Naranjales Guarino. It is currently being packed at a specially modified packhouse in Paysandú before undergoing cold treatment. Montes indicated that the trial shipment would allow the authorities to test monitoring systems and portside logistics ahead of the first full season in 2014.
