Chile's Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) reported that just over 8,000 boxes of table grapes produced in the Atacama Region have been approved for export under the Systems Approach phytosanitary protocol for the U.S. market to date.

This protocol replaces the fumigation of the fruit with a process of inspection at origin, giving competitive advantages to national products.

The National Director of SAG, José Guajardo, expressed his joy at this important milestone, which represents the result of a 24-year effort.

“During this time, intense negotiations were carried out between the United States and the Chilean public and private sector. Today, we see how all that work, commitment, and perseverance are beginning to bear concrete fruit, materializing in this first shipment,” he said.

At the program's new inspection site located in Copiapó, SAG personnel and USDA-APHIS inspectors from the United States received the first lots of fruit from the Apacheta and La Cantera plants, located in the interior of the province, carrying out verification, inspection, and subsequent phytosanitary approval of the fruit.

According to estimates from the regional production sector, approximately 3 million boxes of table grapes are expected to be shipped from Atacama to the United States via Systems Approach, out of a total that last year reached more than 5 million 600 thousand fumigated boxes exported to the United States.

SAG detailed that there are five inspection tables currently enabled to receive an increasing amount of table grapes as the harvest season progresses.

Mei Maggi Achu, regional director of SAG, said “We have increased the SAG staff according to the demand for inspection, which we know will grow, we are prepared and already carrying out the first inspections of table grape samples”.

The work leading to phytosanitary certification includes the supervision of the formation of lots for sampling at the fruit plants, reception and inspection at the designated site, and the subsequent dispatch of the approved fruit to the plant.

Currently, 10 SAG officials are working at the SAG-USDA-Frutas de Chile inspection site.

Maggi also stressed that SAG personnel verify all movement of samples to be inspected, both in packing plants, at the inspection site, and then in the dispatch of the fruit to the port.

“Our inspectors do a thorough job, in addition to inspecting for quarantine pests, they check the lots, their documentation, labeling, and check means of transport, among other tasks, ensuring compliance with Systems Approach requirements,” he said.

The pest inspection is focused on the quarantine insects Lobesia botrana and false red vine spider mite, the former under official SAG control and of scarce presence in the area, and the latter is controlled based on the phytosanitary programs implemented by the regional producers themselves.

“The implementation of the Systems Approach protocol marks significant progress for the fruit sector in the Atacama region. We are confident that the season will be successful and that this system will consolidate as a fundamental support to strengthen regional agriculture, promoting its development and sustainable growth,” commented Guajardo.

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