The main producers and exporters of avocado in Mexico agreed on several measures with the Ministry of Agriculture to prevent shipments to Japan from containing pesticide residues not authorized in that country or not complying with their legal limits, the agency reported Monday.
Agriculture specified in a bulletin that it achieved the commitment with the unions Empacadores y Comercializantes del Aguacate de Michoacán ( Udecam ), and Empacadores de Aguacate de Peribán ( Ueapac ).
The associations of Avocado Producers and Exporters of Jalisco ( Apeajal ), and that of Avocado Producers and Packers of Mexico ( Apeam ) also signed.
The companies undertook to train their staff in the avocado export procedure to Japan, in addition to reinforcing among their staff the concepts set by the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality ( Senasica ) regarding contamination and pesticides.
A worker in an avocado packing plant in Mexico. Efeagro / Luis Enrique Granados
In addition, they will carry out an annual dissemination and training campaign with their associated producers in order to minimize the presence of chemical and biological molecules in the fruits.
They also agreed to acquire their supplies preferentially in units certified by Senasica and present to the Mexican health authority the results of product analysis for pesticide residues of each of the avocado shipments destined for Japan.
Japan is the third commercial destination for Mexican avocados, behind the United States and Canada.
The commercial value of exports to the Asian country annually amounts to more than 149 million dollars, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The general director of Agrifood, Aquaculture and Fisheries Safety of Senasica, Amada Vélez Méndez, stressed after the signing of the agreement that “the Japanese market is one of the most demanding at the international level in terms of health and safety”, for which she asked producers take extreme measures.
90% of the avocado consumed in Japan comes from Mexico, the world’s leading producer of this fruit.
Source: efeagro.com
