The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has launched a pest risk assessment (PRA) to evaluate the potential risks associated with importing fresh citrus fruits from Botswana. This initiative is part of the United States’ stringent agricultural import regulations, which are designed to prevent the introduction of harmful pests into the country.
“This commodity risk assessment was initiated in response to a request by the government of Botswana to change the federal regulation to allow entry,” says APHIS.
The department stated that the assessment focuses on commercially produced citrus varieties—lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, and sweet orange—that Botswana aims to export to the lucrative U.S. market. APHIS indicates that the proposed importation of these fruits from Botswana into the United States is intended for consumption.
This review process is standard for all fresh produce imports and forms part of the U.S. government’s efforts to protect domestic agriculture from invasive species that could cause widespread damage.
The PRA drafted by APHIS identifies and analyses the potential pests that could be associated with citrus fruit imports. The risk assessment covers a broad spectrum of pest concerns, including any insects, fungi, or bacteria that may be present in citrus-growing regions of Botswana.
APHIS is inviting stakeholders, industry representatives, scientific experts, and the public to submit their comments and concerns regarding the draft assessment. Contributions are welcome on any scientific or technical issues that could influence the final conclusions of the risk assessment.
The 30-day consultation period provides an early opportunity for public engagement and transparency. Any feedback received during this period will be considered in revising the PRA. Changes may be made based on credible information provided, helping to shape APHIS’s final decision on citrus imports from Botswana.
For those interested in participating, this is a chance to contribute to shaping the policy and ensuring that all potential risks are thoroughly evaluated.
Stakeholders can access the draft risk assessment and submit their comments through the official APHIS website during the consultation period.
Botswana, which is a relatively new player in the citrus export industry, views the U.S. market as an opportunity to boost its agricultural sector and diversify its economy. With global demand for citrus fruit on the rise, successful access to the U.S. market could be a significant economic boon for the Southern African nation. APHIS says it shares draft pest risk assessments with the public to determine whether stakeholders have information that might lead “us to revise the draft assessment before we identify pest mitigations and proceed with official rulemaking.”
“This service allows stakeholders to review and provide comments on draft risk assessments or pest lists for fruits, vegetables, plants, or plant products for a 30-day period,” the agency says.
Regarding potential weediness of the commodity, the agency says in some cases, an imported commodity could become invasive in the PRA area.
“If warranted, we analyse the commodity for weed risk. A weed risk analysis is not required when the commodity is already enterable into the PRA area from other countries, the commodity plant species is widely established or cultivated in the PRA area, or the imported plant part(s) cannot easily propagate on its own or be propagated.
We determined that the weed risk of lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, and sweet orange does not need to be analysed because these commodities are already enterable from other countries,” the agency explained.
