With the 2023-24 Chilean table grape season starting in November, Chilean grape importers in the U.S. are urgently requesting the U.S. authorities to accelerate the authorization of a Systems Approach, which would allow the entry of Chilean grapes into the U.S. without fumigation.
After 20 years of work between Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Systems Approach has been authorized by the technical organizations of both the U.S. and Chile. It is now awaiting publication in the Federal Register by the USDA.
Twenty importers have sent letters to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, requesting that the USDA urgently publish the Systems Approach for Chilean table grapes.
This includes such importers as Bengard, Giumarra, Summit Produce, Dayka & Hackett, Kopke, Sbrocco International, Capespan, Forever Fresh, Grapeman, J&K Fresh, Oppy, Jac Vandenberg Inc., Pacific Trellis, Sun Fresh International, Pandol Bros. Inc., Sierra Produce, Tastyfrutti International, and Grapeco Farms.
The delay in final approval has generated a complex situation for the entire value chain. Chile is the second largest supplier of table grapes to the U.S., with more than 240,000 tons shipped in the 2022-23 season and sales of over US$480 million.
Chilean grape imports are crucial to meet demand during the winter months. With U.S. retailers and consumers demanding consistently high-quality grapes, a Systems Approach is imperative.
The letter states, “The 2023-24 Chilean grape season is already upon us. If the Systems Approach is not published in the Federal Register, this will negatively impact everyone involved in the Chilean grape industry, whether in Chile or the U.S. We look forward to its upcoming approval, as it not only represents a great advance for the long-standing economic relationship between Chile and the United States but, more importantly, benefits U.S. consumers.”
The approval of this regulation will facilitate the supply of consistently high-quality Chilean grapes to American consumers.
In October, Andres Rodriguez, agricultural attaché of the Chilean embassy in the United States, told FreshFruitPortal.com, "The technical agreement and the standard are finalized and ready to be published, today this is a one hundred percent political issue, and we depend only on the political will of the United States to be able to publish the agreement."
