Chile: They trust that the demand of EE will be lifted UU to fumigate the blueberry on destination
Although the end of the restrictions on the entry of blueberries to the United States has been announced for years, this time there is greater confidence on the part of the SAG and the producers that after five years the North American demand to fumigate the fruit may be lifted. , which has affected the competitiveness and quality of the product, but particularly the organic ones, who with this measure have not been able to market their berries as such.
The national director of SAG, Horacio Bórquez, who on Thursday met in Chillán with the president of Fedefruta, Jorge Valenzuela, and with leaders of the Ñuble Farmers' Association, led by Álvaro Gatica, announced that within the current year the Systems Approach. "A System Approach or Systems Approach procedure was agreed upon with the United States Department of Agriculture, which is now ready. The next step corresponds to the North American normative process ".
As it will be recalled, in December of 2013 the sanitary authority of the United States imposed the requirement to fumigate with methyl bromide all the shipments of blueberries coming from the regions of O'Higgins, Maule and Bío Bío (including Ñuble) that arrived at North American ports , after detecting the presence of the plague Lobesia botrana or moth of the vine cluster.
From that moment the SAG implemented a pest control strategy and the Ministry of Agriculture authorities have held numerous bilateral diplomatic and technical meetings, as well as field inspections, in order to achieve the lifting of restrictions, those that to date have not been successful.
Bórquez reported that "we are waiting for news, our technical teams were to the United States less than a month ago and we are waiting for the answer of the analysis that the Americans are finishing; I think yes or yes for next season sure we will have the Systems Approach working. "
The authority explained that the mechanism considers a process of registration of the orchards that can demonstrate that they do not have Lobesia and in that way avoid the obligation to fumigate. The director of the SAG highlighted the impact this will have on organic producers, who with these restrictions "had ceased to be organic and may now be organic again."
In this regard, Álvaro Gatica stressed that this is a very important issue for the region, since cranberry is the main fruit exported by Ñuble, and was confident that this year the restrictions will be released. In that sense, he said that unlike the previous announcements, this formula is better directed and very advanced.
"It gives much more security, although this does not depend on us or the SAG, but on the United States, and I understand that they are quite advanced with the Systems Approach, so next season we should not have to spray," he said.
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