The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has formally proposed amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow Hass avocado imports from Peru, according to a statement from the organization.
As a condition of entry, the fruit would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for importation in commercial consignments; registration and monitoring of places of production and packinghouses; grove sanitation; pest-free areas or trapping for fruit flies; surveys for the avocado seed moth and inspection for quarantine pests by the national plant protection organization of Peru.
Peru’s Hass avocados would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the avocados were grown, packed and inspected and found to be free of pests in accordance with the proposed requirements.
The USDA claims this action would allow for the import of Hass avocados from Peru into the US while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.
APHIS will consider all comments received on or before 9 March by either the Federal eRulemaking Portal or by post.
Peruvian growers estimate they could ship 19,000 tonnes of Hass avocados to the US each year, which would push up current US imports by 10 per cent, according to a report by Peruvian news agency Andina.
Andina claims Agriculture Department economists predict that some of the imports from Peru would displace avocados from other countries, with economists further predicting that consumers may benefit and US producers may lose a bit due to “a decline in market prices ranging between 1 per cent and 6 per cent”.
