The Systems Approach protocol for Chilean table grape exports to the U.S., a negotiation that has been in the pipeline for more than 23 years, is currently on hold. 

To learn about the implications for the sector and the actions that are being developed to reactivate the talks and finally achieve approval, FreshFruitPortal.com spoke to Uvanova Vice President, Dragomir Lujbetic.

Uvanova is the Chilean table grape development research commission.

Related articles: Chileans urge Systems Approach protocol for grape exports

How is the table grape industry dealing with the response of U.S. authorities?

Vice president Lujbetic answers:

I am personally very upset with what has happened, I think that there has been a lack of clarity in terms of national policies and relations with respect to this issue.

There’s been no technical determination, we did not even manage to make the first shipments to show that we are able to comply with protocols, therefore, this is a political issue, it is a rejection of relations between countries and it has nothing to do with anything technical; therefore, our hands are tied.

What’s your next move?

The only thing left for us to do is to put pressure on our authorities so that they understand the tremendous damage we do to fruit when fumigating  with methyl bromide. Because this directly affects our competitiveness.

And for that, all the associations, all technical-political entities that we have in agriculture, I think we have to put our foot down, because we have no other choice.

What are the benefits of not fumigating with methyl bromide?

It is beneficial for our fruit, for the condition, for prices, for quality, for the environment and for moving forward in this process of applying less pesticides. And it gets caught up in an issue so foreign to the fruit itself.

There are Chilean authorities here who must have taken into account the risks and the advantages that are assumed when certain policies are approved with respect to agriculture. I can't believe that this has not been discussed before.

This is a political issue, so we are urging authorities to get down to business and ask what it means to us, how important this is for the sector. Travel and see what a fumigated fruit means and one that is not, so that you can understand what we are talking about.

Our authorities need to lobby the U.S. government to put this back on the table. I don't see a reaction of what measures are being taken by Chilean authorities, nor any signs to indicate how we are going to move forward, I see that we remain with our arms crossed.