The governments of Mexico and the United States reached an agreement for the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) to take over the sampling and certification activities of avocado orchards destined for export to the US. This change, announced by Sader, recognizes the Mexican producers' compliance with the avocado export work plan, highlighting the absence of sanitary problems for more than 27 years.
The United States Department of Agriculture, through its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS-USDA), has expressed its confidence in Mexico's National Agri-Food Health, Safety, and Quality Service (Senasica) so that Mexican inspectors supervise there are no pests in the orchards. However, APHIS will continue carrying out documentary supervision and, if deemed necessary, may carry out on-site inspections to verify the phytosanitary condition of the orchards.
APHIS and Senasica will continue to share the responsibility of supervising avocado packaging exported from Mexico to the United States, which reflects the satisfaction with the pest detection and control activities carried out by Mexican producers, packers, and exporters. This transfer of responsibilities strengthens the bonds of cooperation between the two nations as they move towards a more agile and secure trade.
Since 1997, APHIS has collaborated with technicians from Senasica's General Directorate of Plant Health in the annual inspection of orchards to guarantee their sanitary condition, as part of the Work Plan for Mexican avocado exports to the US.
Avocado is a product of significant importance for Mexico, the world's leading producer with 2.54 million tons. The states of Michoacan, Jalisco, the State of Mexico, Nayarit, Morelos, and Puebla are the main producers. Mexico consumes part of its production and exports more than 1.1 million tons of avocado to various countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Spain, El Salvador, the Netherlands, and China.
Source: lavanguardia.com