Fruit exporters are on alert before a possible loosening of sanitary controls between Chile and Argentina between the pass at Usupallata in Argentina and Los Libertadores, Chile, which would involve unblocking 100 kilometers of trans-Andean territory, Chilean business newspaper Diario Financiero reported.

Ronald Bown, president of Asoex, the Chilean exporters group, warned that relaxing the sanitary control in this area “is something very complicated, from the point of view that pests that we don’t have could enter, and we need to control that for the function of our markets,” according to the newspaper.

The measure is presented by the Chilean government as a way of improving bilateral relations between the two countries.

He said that if the initiative is implemented, pests such as the fruit fly could enter Chile, and “that would mean that we would pay an additional, very severe cost, because there are countries that won’t let us enter and others that will demand elimination measures that would translate into higher costs,” the website said.

Asoex has delivered a letter to government ministries outlining the threats posed by relying solely on controls internal to Argentina.

Bown said the lack of control could prevent Chile from exporting to certain countries such as China, “and everyone knows China is the market of the future,” he said, according to the website.

Asoex hopes for precautionary measures, and added that there are other ways to improve bilateral relations, according to the website.

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Source: www.freshfruitportal.com