Increased Produce Imports To South Florida Ready For Take-Off
December 30, 2014 After a successful pilot program that allowed shipments of fresh produce from Peru and Uruguay to be imported into South Florida, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced that the pilot will be expanding to imports of other commodities from Peru and Argentina.
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam traveled to Panama, and other department leaders have traveled to Peru this year in order to evaluate progress of the pilot program that allows produce from certain countries to enter Florida ports after receiving cold treatment to prevent the entry of pests and disease. Previously, these imports were required to be sent into northern states where cooler temperatures mitigate the threat of pests and disease.
“This pilot program will increase trade to Florida while continuing to safeguard Florida’s $108 billion agriculture industry from the threat of new pests and disease,” Putnam said. “South Florida ports will now be able to accommodate products that were previously restricted to ports north of Florida.”
FDACS partnered with USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection to develop the pilot program that would allow a low-risk commodity imports from those countries to enter South Florida ports.
The pilot program originally allowed imports of blueberries and grapes from Peru or Uruguay. The expanded program also will allow citrus from Peru and blueberries, apples, and pears from Argentina.
Containers that do not pass cold treatment requirements will be prohibited from entering the port and will not be offloaded from vessels.
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