Portugal's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, announced that the country can now export fresh lemons to Brazil after addressing a series of phytosanitary requirements that had previously restricted trade.

“There was no clear definition of plant health standards or conditions. Now, these requirements have been established, removing another obstacle to export,” he told the Lusa news agency.

Fernandes emphasized that lemons are “a product sought after by Brazil,” and Portugal expects to find a “highly favorable” market in the South American country.

The ordinance permitting the import of Portuguese lemons was published in Brazil's Official Gazette at the end of February.

Permit for Lemons

According to the decree issued by the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, lemon shipments must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from Portugal’s National Organization for Plant Protection (ONPF), with an additional declaration confirming the absence of pests and diseases.

Shipments must be free from pests such as Apomyelois ceratoniae, Brevipalpus lewisi, Eotetranychus lewisi, Eutetranychus africanus, Frankliniella intonsa, Icerya aegyptiaca, Icerya seychellarum, Limothrips cerealium, Pezothrips kellyanus, Pseudococcus calceolariae, Scirtothrips aurantii, Scirtothrips inermis, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, Tetranychus turkestani, Diaporthe eres, and Septoria citri.

Exported lemons will be inspected at the point of entry and may be sampled for phytosanitary analysis at official or accredited laboratories.

If a quarantine pest is found in a shipment or there is a risk of introducing a pest with quarantine potential for Brazil, the shipment will be destroyed or rejected. Additionally, Brazil reserves the right to suspend lemon imports until a revised Pest Risk Analysis is completed.