Millions in export dollars will be lost due to a new import ban on 18 farm products ordered by the United States government. The measure will mainly affect the large exports of avocados and peppers grown in nurseries.
As reported in Diario Libre, Minister of Agriculture Angel Estevez and the farm attache of the US Embassy Morgan Perkins said the measure was temporary. An editorial in El Dia today, Thursday 19 March 2015, says that the measure resulted from the Ministry of Agriculture authorities’ failure to observe prevention measures and rigorous sanitary controls.
Yesterday, Wednesday, 18 March 2015, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued import restrictions on farm products following the detection of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata).
The following commodities are prohibited from the Dominican Republic: avocado, Clementine, grape, grapefruit, lemon, lychee, longan, mamey (sapote), mandarin, mango, orange, papaya, pepper, pummel, tangelo, tangerine, tomato and tuna (cactus fruit).
As is the case of peppers, many of the other fruits are grown in greenhouses, and are part of the “emerging stars” of the Dominican Republic, according to the latest report issued by the Santo Domingo Technological Institute’s (Intec) Dominican International Trade Observatory (ODCI). On 20 November 2014, economist Pavel Isa Contreras, a senior researcher at ODCI, presented a report, “Profile of fruit and vegetable exports.” He found that between 2005 and 2013, fruit and vegetable exports had increased four times faster than the total exports, and since 2001 they had grown at an average rate of 18.6% a year. In 2013, under the title of fruit and vegetable exports, the country received US$300 million. These exports face “overwhelming” competition from Mexico for the United States and European markets.
The measure, which is effective immediately, also affects exports for overland in-bond transit through the US to other destinations.
APHIS said that the action was being taken in response to several detections of Medfly in the Punta Cana region of the Dominican Republic.
It is reported that commercial shipments of mangos that undergo the APHIS hot water treatment preclearance program will continue.
For more information on the measure, contact juan.a.roman@aphis.usda.gov