WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/987 
22 December 2009 
 
 (09-5902) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NATIONAL PREVENTION PROGRAMME FOR HLB 
(HUANGLONGBING) 
 
Statement by Argentina at the Meeting of 28 and 29 October 2009
 
 
 
 The following communication, received on 18 December 2009, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Argentina
. 
 
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I. THE IMPORTANCE OF CITRICULTURE IN ARGENTINA AND THE PROBLEM 
OF HLB 
1. Argentina has a tradition of citrus farming and is  known for its production of lemons, oranges, 
mandarins and grapefruit.  It has an installed in frastructure for the production and exportation of fresh 
fruit, concentrated juices and othe r high value-added derivatives. 
2. Argentine citriculture has been expanding at an  annual rate of approximately 3 per cent over 
the past 20 years, and its products have succeeded  in positioning themselves in major international 
markets.  Citrus farming is of considerable so cio-economic importance for the provinces concerned.  
In some cases, it is one of the largest contributors to the provincial gross product. 
3. National citrus production tota ls approximately 3,300,000 tonnes per year.  In terms of 
production, lemons account for the largest share, while in terms of cultivated area, oranges lead, 
followed by lemons, mandarins and grapefruit. 
4. Forty-seven per cent of citrus production goes to industry, and 53 per cent is for fresh 
consumption.  Of the latter, 32 per cent is consum ed domestically and the remaining 21 per cent is 
exported.  The country's citrus sector generates an economic value of a pproximately US$500 million 
per year of which 70 per cent consists of exports  of fresh fruit, concentrated juices and other 
derivatives. 
5. Huanglongbing (HLB) is considered  internationally to be the most destructive citrus disease.  
Over the past five years, it has progressed disturbi ngly in all citrus growing areas of the world, and 
particularly on the American continent, causing dram atic crop losses over a short time - and so far, no 
effective ways have been found to control it. 
6. Argentina has had no recorded cases of HLB.  However, one of the HLB vector insects, 
Diaphorina citri Kuwayama , otherwise known as "Asiatic citrus psyllid ", is present in most of the 
citrus-growing provinces. 
7. The potential for economic damage if this di sease were to enter and establish itself in 
Argentina is enormous.  The consequences would be extremely serious, considering:  (a) the direct G/SPS/GEN/987 
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  damage caused to production (losses of 100 per cent of productive capacity in less than three years 
have been cited);  (b) indirect damage (lo ss of markets, increase in production costs);  
(c) socio-economic impact (120,000 jobs, 16 indust ries, 529 packaging plants);  and (d) the negative 
impact on the environment (larger doses and more  frequent application of agrochemicals, for 
example). 
II. NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE PREVENTION OF HLB 
8. The above situation called for new strategies at  the national level covering all aspects of the 
problem and all of the players directly or indirectly involved so that everything could be done to preserve the country's HLB-free status and to en sure the sustainability of the citrus sector. 
9. To that end, the National Programme for the Prevention of HLB (Huanglongbing) was 
created, with the overall objective of strengthening th e system for preventing the entry of HLB.  The 
programme will cover an area of 140,000 hectares of citrus fruit and w ill involve approximately 
5,300 producers. 
10. The programme's specific objectives are: 
(a) To improve and adapt the regulatory framewo rk and the control systems in force; 
(b) to introduce surveillance systems for early detection of HLB; 
(c) to make official HLB control mandatory fo r all citrus plant production whether for 
sale, transfer, own use or any other purpose; 
(d) to implement a contingency plan for th e management and control of HLB should 
outbreaks be detected; 
(e) to develop specific channels of HLB research; 
(f) to implement training, awareness and dissemination schemes. 
11. The Programme is made up of four operationa l components - (a) control, (b) surveillance, 
(c) research and development, (d) training and dissemination - and one c oordination and follow-up 
component. 
12. The control component  essentially involves the strengthening of quarantine controls, 
inspection at the border and points of entry, en route controls to monitor the transport of propagation 
materials, registration of nurseries, and inspection of  the production and marketing of citrus plants.  It 
also involves drawing up a contingency plan to deal with emergencies. 
13. The phytosanitary surveillance component  groups together general and specific surveillance 
activities aimed at ensuring early detection of possible outbreaks of the pest and monitoring and 
recording the presence of the vector insect, Diaphorina citri .  This component also involves the 
creation of a network of laboratories and the strengthening of their HLB diagnostic capacity.  
14. The research and development component  covers the aspects that are currently considered to 
be the Programme's priorities and on which furthe r knowledge is required.  A first stage would 
involve vector insect management techniques and diagnostic procedures. 
15. The training and dissemination component  is of particular importance, since this is a 
prevention programme.  This component groups t ogether all of the activities designed to boost  G/SPS/GEN/987 
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  awareness, among the different actors involved, of th e precautions to be taken, the regulations in 
force, and the need to communicate rapi dly any suspected symptoms of the pest. 
16. The coordination and follow-up component  of the Programme will be under the 
responsibility of the Interinstitutional Coordinatio n Unit made up of representatives of the SAGPyA 
(Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food), INTA (Nationa l Agricultural Technology 
Institute), SENASA (National Animal Health and Agri-Food Quality Service) and INASE (National 
Seed Institute). 
17. The regional plant health organizations involve d are the Regional Comm ittee of the Northeast 
of Argentina (CORENEA), the Regional Committee of the Northwest of Argentina (CORENOA) and 
the Provincial Health Directorates, as well as the Federal Phytosanitary Committee (CFF) which 
forms part of the Federal Agricultural Council (CFA). 
18. The private sector will participate through its representative and technical entities, such as the 
Argentine Citrus Federation (FEDERCITRUS), the Phytosanitary Association of the Northwest of 
Argentina (AFINOA), the Citrus Federation (FECIE R), the Regional Health and Quality Foundation 
of the Northeast of Argentina (FUNDANEA), the Cham ber of Citrus Exporters of the Northeast of 
Argentina (CECNEA), the Tucuman Citrus Associ ation (ATC) and other entities from the citrus 
sector in the provinces involved. 
19. A more detailed description of each one of the Programme's components can be found in 
Resolution SAGPyA 517/09, published in the Official Bulletin of 13 August 2009.  The complete text of this Resolution is available in Spanish at:  http://www.infoleg.gov.ar/infolegInter net/anexos/155000-1599 99/156568/norma.htm
 
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