US authorizes fresh rambutan imports from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
The United States of America
Department of Agriculture has
authorized the importation of
fresh rambutan fruit from Vietnam,
Malaysia, and Puerto Rico as
traditional Latin American suppliers
can no longer meet the increasing
demand.
Based on pest risk analysis, the
US Department of Agriculture found
that fresh rambutan from the three
countries meet technical standards
and designated phytosanitary
measures will be sufficient to
mitigate the risks of introducing
plant pests or noxious weeds. One
measure includes commercial
consignments strictly limited to
continental United States.
Special phytosanitary measures
are required for rambutan from
Malaysia. First, all products must
be inspected by the national plant
protection organization of Malaysia
to ensure that it is free of the fungus
Oidium nephelii. The fresh fruits
are required to be irradiated with a
minimum absorbed dose of 400 Gy.
Surge of Vietnam exports
Rambutan exports to the US
surged strongly a few days before the
2012 Chinese New Year, according
to the Plant Protection Department
of Vietnam. The amount of orders
for rambutan shoot up from 2-4
containers per week to about 20
containers, reaching up to 9-10
freight containers per day.
Before 2012, Vietnam
could not compete with South
American suppliers. The price of
Vietnamese rambutan exported
via airway was USD 6.7 per kilo,
a lot more expensive than the
South American counterparts at
USD 3 per kilo. Despite the price
difference, exports from Vietnam Page 12 January - February 2012
continued to increase because
rambutan from competitors were
off-season.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry
and Trade said that rambutan
accounted for the largest export
earnings of any Vietnamese fruit in
2009, with USD 2.5 million. Markets
such as the United Arab Emirates,
Korea, and the Netherlands were
the top importers. With the US
authorization, export earnings are
projected to shoot up in 2012.
This rise in demand can be also
be accounted for the improvement
of fruit quality. Farmers in the
provinces within the Mekong Delta
have obtained Global GAP (Good
Agricultural Practices) certificates.
These include 31 hectares in Vinh
Long province and 81 hectares in the
Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces.
Increasing production in Mexico
The president of the Association
of Producers and Exporters of
Rambutan in Chiapas, Mexico
signed an agreement with a group
of Chinese businessmen to ship 100
tons of fresh rambutan each week
to European, Asian, and North
American markets. It was estimated
that Mexico produced 7,000 tonnes
of rambutan in 2011 and exports
5,000 tonnes to international
markets. The production was a
record for Mexico, since only 300
tonnes were exported in 2010 and
50 tonnes from 2000-2009.
Canned Costa Rican rambutan
Export of fresh Costa Rican
rambutan has declined because
of Mexico’s strong supply.
http://www.itfnet.org/e-Newsletter/2012/Jan-Feb2012_newsletter.pdf
Topic: Vietnam, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico Authorized to sell Rambutan in USA (Read 1883 times)