U.S. considers imports of South Korean peppers

U.S. considers imports of South Korean peppers    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed to amend its regulations to allow imports of South Korean-produced peppers.
   Under the proposed rules, the peppers would have to be grown in approved insect-proof greenhouses and packed in pest-free packinghouses in South Korea.
   In addition, the peppers would have to be safeguarded against pest infestation during their movement from production sites to the packinghouses and from the packinghouses to the United States, the USDA said.
   If the regulations are approved, South Korea expects to export about 250 metric tons of peppers a month, or about 600 40-foot refrigerated container loads a year. “This level of imports is small compared to the current levels of production and imports into the United States,” the USDA said.
   According to the USDA, the United States imported about 446 million kilograms of peppers, valued at $663.6 million. Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, and Israel were the major exporting countries.
   For more information about the proposed rule, contact Alex Belano of the USDA’s Plant Health Programs at (301) 734-8758.