MEXICO CITY: Even though there were some sporadic sales during January and February 2016, Mexico sold 23,500 tons of lemon to the US market, especially in Texas, during the Italian lemon export that officially ended on December 15, 2015.
These shipments were certified by official personnel from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), said Eduardo Mansilla Gómez, a delegate of that federal agency in the state.
Nine packing companies worked throughout the season achieving market prices between 4,500 and 5,000 pesos per ton. Annual production amounted to 40,000 tons, which were harvested in the municipalities of Padilla, Güémez, Hidalgo, Abasolo, and Gomez Farias. 30 percent of the crop was allocated to the juicing sector, and most of it was exported.
Exports were accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and only one shipment was returned because the platforms where it was being shipped didn’t have a seal proving that the wood had been treated. There were no returns due to pesticides or pest issues.
This year, five of the seven regulations of the agricultural safety modernization law have been approved. As a result there will be an increase in vigilance, especially in the use of agrochemicals.
Mansilla Gomez said that SENASICA was working on an extensive inspection and surveillance program regarding the good use of chemicals. “There will be tighter regulation on agrochemicals and producers that apply them inappropriately will be sanctioned.”
