Peru hopes to finalize a report aimed at persuading the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow its avocados to enter without quarantine or freeze treatment, according to local agriculture website agrarian.pe.

But industry members and government officials disagree about when such approval might come.

Juan Díaz Torres, manager of vegetable health for SENASA, Peru’s agricultural health service, said the process may take three to eight years, according to the website.

But Arturo Medina, general manager of the Hass Avocado Producers Association (PROHASS) said Peru’s avocados could enter the U.S. without quarantine in 2011, saying that 2010 was a test, according to the website.

Entry would then depend on how quickly Peruvian growers and exporters met U.S. standards, Díaz Torres is quoted as saying.

Peru has been working to end pest infestation in growing areas.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com