Starting Monday, June 17, Mexican producers exporting tomatoes to the United States will no longer need to include an inspection certificate in their shipments, making the border crossing easier and faster.
After four years of technical discussions between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. government has lifted the restrictions related to the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) for the import of fresh Mexican tomatoes.
The National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality (Senasica) reported that, following the analysis by U.S. phytosanitary specialists, the USDA issued Federal Order DA-2024-21, which regulates only the importation of propagative material of tomatoes and peppers, including seeds, excluding fresh products.
It is worth noting that on June 3, 2020, the USDA updated the phytosanitary requirements for the importation of ToBRFV hosts, requiring Mexican producers to include an inspection certificate demonstrating the absence of virus symptoms in their products.
Since the implementation of this Federal Order, Senasica has initiated discussions with the U.S. sanitary authority, arguing that fresh tomatoes are not a pathway for the dissemination of ToBRFV, as their intended use is fresh consumption, not reproduction.
The tomato industry in Mexico generates more than 400,000 direct jobs and one million indirect jobs. With a production of over 3.4 million tons, Mexico is the eighth-largest tomato producer in the world. The main producing states are Sinaloa, San Luis Potosí, Michoacán, Jalisco, Baja California Sur, and Zacatecas.
In addition to supplying the domestic market, Mexican producers export more than 1.8 million tons of tomatoes to various destinations, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Costa Rica, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil.
