Italian fresh produce marketing and research body Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO) has established a new training course designed to improve the management of procedures necessary for fresh produce exports to the US.
At present, only certain Italian fruits are permitted entry to the US, with the main stipulation being that those items undergo cold treatment to control and eradicate fruit fly.
Among the products allowed into the US are kiwifruit, table grapes, oranges and persimmons, whereas no protocol is currently in place for Italian apples and pears.
It is hoped that the new training course, supported by practical sessions and an online system, will enable the CSO to coordinate and support export procedures better and break down such barriers to trade.
To that end, CSO worked closely with the Italian ministry of agriculture and the Plant Protection Service in its home region of Emilia Romagna to organise two days of training which included a practical test held at the premises of leading exporter Salvi Unacoa.
During the examination, inspectors were able to perform the entire series of checks and treatment required by US officials on a containerised shipment of fruit.
'The theoretical and practical course, which involved 38 inspectors from all over Italy, means exporters will have more opportunity and support to ship their products to a major market like the US, all thanks to the new phytosanitary inspectors that have been trained on the electronic procedure,' commented Luciano Trentini, director of CSO.
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