After several failed attempts, a new transitional inspection site in the northern Chilean port city of Coquimbo has been approved by U.S. authorities for fruit exports.

The site is on the premises of Dole Chile S.A., and falls under a fruit export program agreed upon by the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) and the Chilean Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG).

The site is mainly for citrus, with expectations that 1,894 lots of clementines, mandarins and oranges will be inspected between May and September, with a peak in June and July.

A note from SAG highlighted regulations for citrus exports to the United States established inspections supported by a systems approach, based on the certification of production sites with a low prevalence of the mite Brevipalpus chilensis and the application of mitigation measures in the fruit packing process.

This serves as an alternative to quarantine treatment with methyl bromide fumigation, which can cause problems in fruit quality.

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