The US Department of Agriculture approves imports of Morocco’s raspberries

Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to approve fresh imports of raspberry from Morocco, the agency said in a statement released Wednesday.

The results of the abovementioned analysis revealed that «the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of raspberries from Morocco», USDA added.

The same source pointed out that Morocco’s National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) will have to «identify the source of the problem» if a pest is found in the fruits, adding that «during the growing season, raspberries must be inspected in the field by the NPPO of Morocco for signs of M. fructigena infection no more than 30 days prior to harvest».