At least 30 trucks with Mexican limes have been turned back after attempting to enter the United States due to phyosanitary concerns.

The shipments of Persian limes to the United States had been accepted without incident until Dec. 6, when U.S. officials started rejecting imports due to the presence of a disease called sweet orange scab, a spokesperson with Mexico’s Persian lime exporters and growers council COPELP confirmed to FreshFruitPortal.com

The news has caused anxiety among Mexican growers of the lime, which is primarily grown for export to the United States. Growers are worried that the loss of the market could cause widespread layoffs in growing areas, primarily in Mexico’s Veracruz state, according to local paper Diario Xalapa.

According to the COPELP spokesperson, council members are asking for action from Mexican authorities.

Local news reports have put the current damage to growing communities at around 90 million Mexican Pesos (US $7.27 million).

The USDA did not immediately reply to comment when contacted.

Photo: wikipedia.org

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com