Recently, the National Agrarian Health Service (Senasa) presented its 2024 Action Plan for Market Access for Plant Products, with the aim of facilitating the entry of priority products into foreign markets. Representatives from the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) participated in the meeting.

The Director General of Plant Health at Senasa, Orlando Dolores Salas, highlighted that the products prioritized for 2024 have made significant progress in pest risk analysis in importing countries. Dolores explained, "For a product to access a market, it must undergo a pest risk analysis (PRA), which is prepared by the importing country."

Market access for new products depends on collaborative work with the importing country's phytosanitary authority, requiring support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR). Priority products for 2024 include fresh bell peppers (Argentina), table grapes (Chile), fresh pomegranates and frozen mangoes, frozen avocados and frozen blueberries (China), among others.

Efforts are underway to improve access for fresh asparagus to the United States by eliminating fumigation. For frozen fruit exports to China, such as mangoes, avocados, and blueberries, a process that has been pending since 2018 is now resuming following the impacts of the pandemic.

Dolores highlighted the collaboration with the Association of Agricultural Producers' Guilds of Peru (AGAP) and the support provided to expedite the processes. She also emphasized the diversification of the agricultural export basket and the opening of new markets for Peruvian products.

Regarding imports, Peru is working with Malaysia to import durian and is prioritizing the import of propagation material. Dolores emphasized that pest risk analysis is essential to ensure that pest-free plants enter Peruvian territory.

Source: Agraria.pe