Exporting tropical fruit plants from Brazil to US: anyone has ideas how to do?

[fsanchez2002]

I'm probably going to Brazil Sao Paulo soon and wanted to bring some hard-to find fruit plants to Miami which are not available here. Does anyone have experience with this? 1. Are there any internal Brazilian regulations that need to be followed? 2. Does anyone have good recommendations of nurseries around Sao Paolo? 3. Does anyone have good recommendations about which plants to brings (which are not available in Florida)? Thanks!!!

[fruitlovers]

I think that will be extremely difficult if not impossible, because you need to obtain a phyto sanitary certificate in Brazil for the plants and that is not possible. I think it's better you stick with seeds. That is more doable. For that you need to get a Small Seed Lot permit from USDA APHIS before leaving. You can apply online.

[bangkok]

I'm probably going to Brazil Sao Paulo soon and wanted to bring some hard-to find fruit plants to Miami which are not available here. Does anyone have experience with this? 1. Are there any internal Brazilian regulations that need to be followed? 2. Does anyone have good recommendations of nurseries around Sao Paolo? 3. Does anyone have good recommendations about which plants to brings (which are not available in Florida)? Thanks!!!

You'll have to find out where you can get a phyto report, just call the agriculture university and probably they can help you.

[Tropicaliste]

I thought it was impossible too for my plan, but then I found a good flow chart on the government website for the bureau of agriculture in my home country. If Brasil is similar it will be long, arduous, and plenty of hurdles but not impossible. You would need the US import permit for plant material. Then you would need to buy the trees, make sure the species are allowed. Take it to one of your offices in Brasil, they will give your material the inspection. Then they may quarantine it. They will either issue you a phytosanitary certificate or destroy it, or give it back to you to give away. Then you will carry your permits, phytosanitary certificate, and the labels from your usda office. You will clearly mark your package, run it through Brasilian airport. This may get tricky if you need to layover. You may need a permit to transport the material. If the flight goes straight to the US then you may not. Then when you arrive in the US, you will need to present your plants and permit and phytosanitary paper to the usda office in the airport. The office needs to be open. Then they will inspect the plants and either let you through, quarantine, or destroy them.

I think that's the meat of it. There's obviously more to it, but if you think that's too much, then you won't care to know what more you may need to work on.

[fruitlovers]

I thought it was impossible too for my plan, but then I found a good flow chart on the government website for the bureau of agriculture in my home country. If Brasil is similar it will be long, arduous, and plenty of hurdles but not impossible. You would need the US import permit for plant material. Then you would need to buy the trees, make sure the species are allowed. Take it to one of your offices in Brasil, they will give your material the inspection. Then they may quarantine it. They will either issue you a phytosanitary certificate or destroy it, or give it back to you to give away. Then you will carry your permits, phytosanitary certificate, and the labels from your usda office. You will clearly mark your package, run it through Brasilian airport. This may get tricky if you need to layover. You may need a permit to transport the material. If the flight goes straight to the US then you may not. Then when you arrive in the US, you will need to present your plants and permit and phytosanitary paper to the usda office in the airport. The office needs to be open. Then they will inspect the plants and either let you through, quarantine, or destroy them.

I think that's the meat of it. There's obviously more to it, but if you think that's too much, then you won't care to know what more you may need to work on.

Due to biopiracy laws it is practically impossible to get a phyto sanitary certificate issued in Brazil. That is why nurseries in Brazil don't ship plants outside of the country. I think only way around this is if you work for some scientific institution and can get a waiver for scientific studies.

[Tropicaliste]

That's good thinking. What a shame. Maybe you could bring scions?

[fruitlovers]

That's good thinking. What a shame. Maybe you could bring scions?

As far as USDA is concerned scions is plant material, so also needs a phyto, so would have same exact difficulties as with plants.
I don't know of any nursery that has been able to bring plants back from Brazil, so chances of private individual doing it are almost nil.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

not so simple...it would also be required for you to sign a compliance agreement and set up an area for post entry quarantine....where you'd have to keep the plants for 2yrs before they'd be allowed to be planted, or moved from your quarantine area.

I thought it was impossible too for my plan, but then I found a good flow chart on the government website for the bureau of agriculture in my home country. If Brasil is similar it will be long, arduous, and plenty of hurdles but not impossible. You would need the US import permit for plant material. Then you would need to buy the trees, make sure the species are allowed. Take it to one of your offices in Brasil, they will give your material the inspection. Then they may quarantine it. They will either issue you a phytosanitary certificate or destroy it, or give it back to you to give away. Then you will carry your permits, phytosanitary certificate, and the labels from your usda office. You will clearly mark your package, run it through Brasilian airport. This may get tricky if you need to layover. You may need a permit to transport the material. If the flight goes straight to the US then you may not. Then when you arrive in the US, you will need to present your plants and permit and phytosanitary paper to the usda office in the airport. The office needs to be open. Then they will inspect the plants and either let you through, quarantine, or destroy them.

I think that's the meat of it. There's obviously more to it, but if you think that's too much, then you won't care to know what more you may need to work on.

[fsanchez2002]

Thanks to all for your comments, you've provided a thorough perspective on this issue. Conclusion: I'll have to forget about this (at least for now). It's a real disappointment because there are so many hundreds of exotic fruits which are readily available in nurseries in Brazil that it would be great if we could make available here. Hopefully overtime this will get easier. Thanks again. F.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Thanks to all for your comments, you've provided a thorough perspective on this issue. Conclusion: I'll have to forget about this (at least for now). It's a real disappointment because there are so many hundreds of exotic fruits which are readily available in nurseries in Brazil that it would be great if we could make available here. Hopefully overtime this will get easier. Thanks again. F.

hahaha that's optimistic...

with the way things are going, by the year 2020, we won't be able to wipe our asses without getting a phyto-sanitary certificate

and you will have to pay per flush.

[fruitlovers]

not so simple...it would also be required for you to sign a compliance agreement and set up an area for post entry quarantine....where you'd have to keep the plants for 2yrs before they'd be allowed to be planted, or moved from your quarantine area.

Not all plants require post entry quarantine, just some. Anyways the real difficulty is from Brazilian side, which makes it impossible to get required phytosanitary certificate. Yes the USDA has a lot of red tape, but it's doable. American nurseries import many plants from other countries, but zero from Brazil.

[fruitlovers]

Thanks to all for your comments, you've provided a thorough perspective on this issue. Conclusion: I'll have to forget about this (at least for now). It's a real disappointment because there are so many hundreds of exotic fruits which are readily available in nurseries in Brazil that it would be great if we could make available here. Hopefully overtime this will get easier. Thanks again. F.

hahaha that's optimistic...

with the way things are going, by the year 2020, we won't be able to wipe our asses without getting a phyto-sanitary certificate

and you will have to pay per flush.

I'm afraid that Adam is right, and things tend to get more difficult importing plant material rather than easier. That's why i tell people to do it while they still can. Seeds are still obtainable, and we can establish most fruit trees here that way. If it's any consolation it's a lot harder in the other direction. Brazilians have a much MUCH harder time getting seeds from US and elsewhere because their mail system is incredibly slow, with packages often taking 1-3 months, and many perishable seeds dying in transit.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Well it seems like all the good plants are required to be in post entry quarantine!

not so simple...it would also be required for you to sign a compliance agreement and set up an area for post entry quarantine....where you'd have to keep the plants for 2yrs before they'd be allowed to be planted, or moved from your quarantine area.

Not all plants require post entry quarantine, just some. Anyways the real difficulty is from Brazilian side, which makes it impossible to get required phytosanitary certificate. Yes the USDA has a lot of red tape, but it's doable. American nurseries import many plants from other countries, but zero from Brazil.

[fruitlovers]

Well it seems like all the good plants are required to be in post entry quarantine!

not so simple...it would also be required for you to sign a compliance agreement and set up an area for post entry quarantine....where you'd have to keep the plants for 2yrs before they'd be allowed to be planted, or moved from your quarantine area.

Not all plants require post entry quarantine, just some. Anyways the real difficulty is from Brazilian side, which makes it impossible to get required phytosanitary certificate. Yes the USDA has a lot of red tape, but it's doable. American nurseries import many plants from other countries, but zero from Brazil.

Do you know where the list is on USDA website of which plants require post entry and which ones don't?

[Tropicaliste]

My main focus for import will be grafted Lansium Domesticum varieties, grafted Mangosteen, Pulasan, and Philippine coffee. Mango isn't allowed to leave the country.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/plants_for_planting.pdf

Well it seems like all the good plants are required to be in post entry quarantine!

not so simple...it would also be required for you to sign a compliance agreement and set up an area for post entry quarantine....where you'd have to keep the plants for 2yrs before they'd be allowed to be planted, or moved from your quarantine area.

Not all plants require post entry quarantine, just some. Anyways the real difficulty is from Brazilian side, which makes it impossible to get required phytosanitary certificate. Yes the USDA has a lot of red tape, but it's doable. American nurseries import many plants from other countries, but zero from Brazil.

Do you know where the list is on USDA website of which plants require post entry and which ones don't?

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Oscar,

I think you are somewhat lucky in Hawaii...you have less regulations than the rest of the states when it comes to importing plants...I could be wrong.

[fruitlovers]

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/plants_for_planting.pdf

Thanks for the link! Interesting to note all lychee plants (exceot from Canada) are prohibited starting May 20, 2013. Good example of things getting stricter. So much for any plans of importing seedless lychee plants from China!

[bangkok]

My main focus for import will be grafted Lansium Domesticum varieties, grafted Mangosteen, Pulasan, and Philippine coffee. Mango isn't allowed to leave the country.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Mangosteen-Plant-Fruit-Plant-Photo-Certificate-NOT-SHIP-EUROPE-/301546748272?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4635963970

[Tropicaliste]

I appreciate the link to the manual, Adam, I'm going to read it for information on the plants I think of.

Bangkok: I don't trust that the ebay plants will get to me. I can get the grafted Mangosteen and Lanzones for around $22 a piece in Manila.