ARGENTINA

Capital: Buenos Aires
Population:  37,813,000
Currency: Peso
Official Language(s): Spanish

I. CHEMICAL MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MRLS)

Please click on the above link for a list of chemical MRLs.

II. CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVE INFORMATION

    A. Chemical residue standards:

Argentina bases its chemical residue standards on the Codex Alimentarius Commission standards.

    B. Monitoring chemical residues:

      For further information contact:
      Corporacion del Mercado Central de Buenos Aires
      Aut. Ricchieri y. Boulogne Sur Mer
      1771 Tapiales
      Pcia. de Buenos Aires, Argentina
      Fax:  (5411) 4480-5626 

    C. Restrictions on use of waxes:

      There are no restrictions.

III. ORGANIC FRUIT REGULATIONS

Argentina must recognize U.S. organic standards before organically labeled product may be exported.  Efforts to achieve Argentine recognition of the U.S. organic standard began in August 2001.  To date, no approval has been granted.

IV. TARIFFS

    Apples              10%
    Pears                10%
    Cherries            10%

    An additional 0.5% statistical tax is also assessed.  Fruit imports from Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) are not assessed the 10 percent import tariff or the statistical tax.

V. NON-TARIFF BARRIERS

    A. Labeling requirements:

      The government of Argentina requires fruit packaging to show the following:  species, state, name of packing house, commercial brand, country, date of packing, grade, variety and units per pack or net weight.

    B. Licenses and quotas:

      An import permit is required.

    C. Currency Issues:

    D.  Pest and plant disease restrictions:

      Apples and Pears.  A phytosanitary certificate (PC) and an import permit (IP) are required.  The shipment cannot be certified unless an IP is presented.

      The fruit must be free of Conotrachelus nenuphar (plum curculio), Cydia packardi (cherry fruit worm), and Cydia prunivora (lesser apple worm), and must come from areas free of exotic fruit flies.

      The fruit must come from an area free of Rhagoletis pomonella (apple maggot).  OR, the fruit must be treated with one of the following cold treatments:

        40 days at 0 degrees C
        55 days at 2.2 degrees C
        90 days at 3.3 degrees C

      The fruit must be free of Erwina amylovora (fire blight).  Fruit must be immersed in a solution of 100 parts per million (PPM) chlorine for not less than one minute.  At the beginning of the pack-out the certifying official must be present when the chlorine concentration is determined.  The chlorine concentration levels must be monitored by packing house personnel during pack-out and the 100 ppm chlorine concentration level maintained.  Pear fruit must be treated with benzalkonium chloride, or sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine dioxide for Erwina amylovora (fire blight).

      The shipment must be free of leaves.

      Additional declaration (AD) that, "The shipment is free of *Conotrachelus nenuphar," AND, "The shipment has been inspected and found free of Cydia packardi and Cydia prunivora."  AND, "The shipment comes from an area outside a quarantine regulated area for fruit flies."

      AND, "*Anastrepha serpentina is not known to occur in the United States."

      AND, "The fruit has been treated by with (enter either benzalkonium chloride or sodium hypochlorite or chlorine dioxide) and is free of Erwina amylovora."

      AND, "The shipment is free of leaves."

E.  Solid Wood Packaging Material (SWPM) Regulatons:

Please refer to the SWPM section of the NHC's Technical Bulletins and Industry Advice.

VI. SUBSIDIES

The Government of Argentina provides export rebates for fresh fruit. Rebates are calculated on the price per metric ton FOB declared by the exporter.

      Apples & Pears

      Boxes (net weight)

       Rebates
      in boxes containing 2.5 kilos or less

      6 percent
      in boxes containing between 2.5 kilos and 20 kilos 5 percent

Apple and pear exports are assessed an export tax of 5%.

VII.  OTHER RESOURCE LINKS:

Governmental: 

VIII. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Although Argentina does not specifically prohibit U.S. cherry imports, its government has not yet identified the pests of potential quarantine concern or mitigation measures which might be required before commercial shipments can occur.

Special thanks to
FAS Field Office - Argentina

105 South 18th Street, Suite 105
Yakima, Washington 98901, USA
Voice: (509) 453-3193, Fax: (509) 457-7615

E-mail general@nwhort.org