The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) granted fourteen producers of Tahiti lime from the north of the Colombian department of Nariño the Registry as Exporter Property (RPE), a certificate that will allow them to commercialize up to 149 tons of this citrus per year in international markets.
All the properties that obtained the RPE are located in the municipalities of El Rosario and Leiva and are part of the Areas Most Affected by the Armed Conflict (Zomac) and of the Development Plans with a Territorial Approach (PDET), prioritized by the Government National.
"This certificate is very important because it will help me obtain better access to the market improving my income and profitability of my crop", stated Luz Denis Gomez, a producer of Tahiti lime and member of the Association of Peasant Lime Producers (Asoprocal) in Leiva.
To obtain the RPE, producers must meet various requirements, including proper phytosanitary management of pests and diseases; guaranteeing water quality, looking after the well-being of their workers, and implementing environmentally friendly practices.
This project has been led by Nariño producers within the framework of the "Colombia PUEDE: Peace and unity through product development and trade" initiative, a project financed by the European Union through the European Fund for Peace and executed by the International Trade Center, which supports producers in obtaining said registration through technical support and investment in property infrastructure. The goal for 2020 is that 80 more producers obtain the RPE in Leiva and El Rosario.
Source: elespectador.com