Chile's lemon exporters may soon have greater reason to set sails for the U.S. market, following a United States Department of Agriculture announcement seeking to reevaluate current fumigation requirements.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Wednesday posted a request for comments on amending the current requirement that fresh lemons from Chile undergo methyl bromide treatment. Fumigation had been required until now in an effort to control false red mite infestation in the United States.

The new rule, if implemented, would alternatively subject commercial fresh lemon consignments to a systems approach, which would require safeguarding measures for pest control in growing areas, packing houses, export locations and at the port of entry. Shipments that do pass initial inspection under this system could still be exported to the United States, if treated with methyl bromide.

The rule will be published April 4 and then will remain open for comments for 60 days.

News of a possible lemon protocol amendment came the same day as news for Chilean cherimoya producers. Current U.S. protocol requires Chilean cherimoyas undergo soapy water and wax treatment. New rules would implement a systems approach.

Chilean exporter CrispaGold said changes to the current lemon fumigation requirement could bring major benefit. General manager Pablo Osses said that by avoiding methyl bromide treatments, exporters could save themselves a logistical headache and arrive to market with higher quality fruit.

“The topic of lemon fumigation is an issue of cost, logically, and a logistical issue, because the fruit is delayed a long time before it is released for sale to the importer,” Osses said.

“The other issue is fruit post-harvest (shelf life) … the fruit suffers a lot, we have less post-harvest life, and there is a dip that occurs, and depending on the condition upon arrival, it can vary between 3 and 10% loss due to fumigation damage.”

While the U.S. market does not pay the same premium that Chilean lemons receive in Japan or Korea, Osses said North America offers other benefits.

Fruit that may not meet the expectations of Asian markets could find an opening in the United States.

“The U.S. market receives all qualities and calibers. That’s its advantage,” Osses said.

“If you ask me which market pays better, it’s the Asian market. But in terms of volume reception and quality, it’s the U.S. market.”

After calculating all of the logistical costs involved in methyl bromide fumigation, Osses estimated that eliminating the process would save between US$1,300 and $1,500 per container. He estimated arrival time would be reduced by 7 to 10 days.

With local campaigns for Holy Week now wrapped up, Osses said producers will now shift gears toward exports, first to Asia and in two weeks, to the United States.

The Chilean Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche, reflected on the opportunity for exporters.

"This new alternative opens an important market for lemon and cherimoya exporters to the United States. It involves an identical proposal to what is currently implemented for oranges, mandarins and clementines, which has been successful in stimulating exports for these species. Hopefully this will be equally successful for these fruits," Furche said.

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