The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishery and Food (Sagarpa) has submitted to Mexico’s Federal Regulatory Commission (Cofemer) a project to establish requirements and phytosanitary specifications for the import of fresh produce, according to a recent USDA report.
Under the move, the regulation NOM-008- FITO-1995, which contains the requirements and phytosanitary specifications for the import of fresh fruits and vegetables, could be amended.
Once approved, the government of Mexico will publish the project in the Diario Oficial (Federal Register) and it will be open for comment.
These amendments aim to streamline the import process and lower the costs of conducting business so that importers will only need to comply with NOM-008 and will not have to pay for and request a Phytosanitary Requirement Sheet (HRZ) to accompany every fruit and vegetable import shipment.
Previously, some fruit and vegetable products did not have import requirements specified in any norm and the Government of Mexico established minimum import requirements in an individual HRZ as allowed by NOM-006-FITO-1995.
In particular, the changes could affect avocados, deciduous fruit, stonefruit, strawberries and vegetables.
