19 January 2024
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry applications are now open for the export of Hass avocados to India from eastern Australia (states excluding Western Australia)
Summary of changes and key points
- Market access under the systems approach, conditional non-host status pathway has been granted for Hass avocados to India.
- Applications are now open for eastern Australian farms and packhouses who intend to export Hass avocados to India for the 2024 season.
- Avocado farm and packhouse managers wanting to export to India are to complete their application forms online through the Australian avocado export registration system by 5pm AEST, Friday 9 February 2024. Late applications will not be accepted.
- Applicants are requested to upload India specific Standard Operating Procedures, traceability documentation, crop monitoring records and the like, into the documents section of their online registration.
- Farms and packhouses will be subject to a site audit for this market.
- All accredited properties may be subject to unannounced audit by us during the season consistent with accredited property audit guidelines.
- Avocado farm and packhouse applications for Western Australian have closed, with applications reopening later in the year.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
Farms and packhouses intending to export Hass avocado to India must be accredited for that market by us prior to export.
Specific market requirements
Only fresh avocado (Persea americana) fruit of the Hass cultivar are permitted to be exported to India.
Further details on specific market requirements can be found on the relevant country and commodity case page on the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor), with the protocol document also available in the ‘Documents’ of Micor.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms and packhouses
- Farms and packhouses must apply for accreditation annually (unless otherwise advised).
- We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
- Requirements for accredited properties including management guidelines, audit guidelines and performance standards, can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
List of required records
Farm
Documented practices that include the following:
- traceability system
- harvest practices (hard mature)
- management program for pests and diseases as specified by India in the systems approach protocol.
Packhouse
Standard operation procedures (SOPs) that address all India related processes including:
- receival and load out of avocado fruit
- grading, processing, and storage
- product traceability and segregation (for example, domestic or the protocol product segregated from India compliant product)
- cleaning and hygiene systems.
Crop monitor responsibilities
- Online crop monitor training and assessment for avocados must be completed annually through the Core Crop Monitoring module on Learnhub.
- To register for the module, email Horticulture Exports Training with your
- first and last name,
- preferred email address and
- commodity you wish to conduct training for.
- Crop monitors must complete the assessment by Friday 9 February 2024.
- Only crop monitors who have completed the online training and passed the assessment are eligible to conduct crop monitoring for protocol markets.
- Crop monitors must be audited for compliance at the relevant accredited property audit.
- Crop monitors must show an understanding of India’s pests of concern and have this reflected in monitoring records.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email Horticulture Exports.
If you have any questions regarding the avocado export registration system, please email Avocados Australia’s Export Development Manager.
Gaylene Podhajski
Acting Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch