After South Africa recently gained country of recognition status for Indonesia, another Southern Hemisphere fruit-exporting country has joined the club which also includes Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada.

Late last week, Argentina's National Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa) confirmed it received confirmation of the decision from its Indonesian counterparts which will allow fruit exports to be shipped without certificates relating to pesticide residues and contaminants.

Indonesian Fruit and Vegetable Exporter and Importer Association (Aseibssindo) spokesperson Hendra Juwono told www.freshfruitportal.com lab testing requirements for these residues could often delay shipments by up to two weeks.

Senasa said the new recognition applies to Argentine grapes, apples, blueberries, cherries, pears, lemons, oranges, mandarins and grapefruit.

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