The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation of Peru announced the start of citrus exports to Uruguay, after the working meeting between the head of SENASA, Miguel Quevedo Valle, and the Ambassador of Uruguay in Peru, Luis Hierro López, in which they established the final agreements for the access of mandarins, oranges, tangelos, lemon (key lime and tahiti) to this South American market.

According to the agreed work plan, the phytosanitary requirements for the export of these products will be published on the web portal of the National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality of Uruguay.

According to official figures, during the 2020 campaign, Peru managed to export a total of 268,000 tons of citrus fruits, led by mandarin with 200,000 tons, lemons with 19,000 tons, orange with 29,000 tons, tangelo with 18,000 tons and grapefruit with 2,000 tons.

“Access to this market will provide greater opportunities for Peruvian producers; contributing in parallel, with the economic dynamism of the agricultural sector. In the same way, we have been working in the field with producers to protect national production and comply with sanitary and phytosanitary standards for the benefit of Peruvian and world consumers ”, added Miguel Quevedo Valle, Head of SENASA.

For the export of citrus fruits, the Uruguayan authority requires as the main requirement that shipments are free of quarantine pests and have the Phytosanitary Export Certificate issued by SENASA, this document will guarantee the entry of these products to the country of destination. Products such as mandarin, tangelo, orange and grapefruit will be subjected to a quarantine cold treatment to control fruit flies. In the case of lemon (key lime and Tahiti), this treatment is not necessary.

The Uruguayan market joins the 45 countries to which these fruits are currently exported, the most important being the US and the European countries in the case of mandarines; and Chile, Panama and Bolivia for the case of the key lime and Tahiti lemon.

The main citrus exporting regions in the country are Ica, Junín and Lima; Also highlighting Piura, with its lemon exports, as well as Lambayeque.