The US government has postponed the entry of Peruvian avocados until the middle of 2009 to allow time for the necessary import protocol formalities to be carried out, according to Peruvian Agriculture Minister Ismael Benavides.
Peru reportedly still needs to carry out certain tests and analyses while the public consultation in the US must be finalised before Peru’s avocado industry can gain access to the lucrative North American market.
Oscar Domínguez, the head of Peru’s national food safety agency Senasa, said his organisation is currently in negotiations with its US counterpart, the USDA, to help speed up the process.
“Technically, we are working very hard together with both the avocado producers in Peru and the USDA,” Mr Domínguez told local press.
Between January and July this year, Peruvian avocado exports reached US$54m in value and 37,000 tonnes in volume, marking a 32 per cent increase on the year-earlier period.
