United States Department of Agriculture 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

Plant Protection and Quarantine

 

 

Risk Management Document

Importation of Fresh Fruits of Pomegranate (Punica 

granatum) and Fig (Ficus carica) from Chile into the 

Continental United States 

Ver. MB2 

December 15, 2009 

Plant Health Programs (PHP) 

Regulations, Permits and Manuals (RPM) 

Contact Person: Claudia Ferguson 
Version MB2 December 15, 2009 

 

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Introduction 

The Chilean Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG), the national plant protection organization 

(NPPO) of Chile, requested to export fresh figs (Ficus carica L.) and pomegranates (Punica 

granatum L.) to the continental United States. SAG conducted Pest Risk Assessments (PRA) for 

fresh figs and pomegranates and provided them to APHIS in August 2004 (Servicio Agrícola y 

Ganadero, 2004). APHIS developed a PRA using the pest list in the SAG PRA, a search of the 

literature and APHIS pest interception records (USDA, 2007). The APHIS PRA identified two 

quarantine pests that are likely to be introduced into the continental United States in 

consignments of fresh figs or pomegranates: 

Brevipalpus chilensis Baker (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) Chilean false red mite

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedeman) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Mediterranean fruit fly 

The PRA considered the likelihood and consequences of introducing these pests and indicated 

that both of these pests pose a High pest risk potential. Pests with high pest risk potential 

generally require measures in addition to inspection at the port of entry to mitigate risk (USDA, 

2000). 

Risk Management Measures 

Pest Free Area for Ceratitis capitata 

APHIS currently recognizes that all of Chile except the Province of Arica and Parincota in the 

extreme North of Chile as free of Mediterranean fruit fly. After completion of an eradication 

program, Chile has requested that APHIS recognize that all of Chile, including the Province of 

Arica and Parincota, is free of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata). 

Subsequent to implementation of a public notice, APHIS will allow export of figs and 

pomegranates from all areas of Chile currently recognized as free of Mediterranean fruit fly. 

Commercial consignments must have a Phytosanitary Certificate with an Additional Declaration 

that the fruit comes from an area found free of Mediterranean fruit flies. 

Quarantine treatment for Brevipalpus chilensis

 

Fumigation. 

Shipments of figs and pomegranates may be imported into the continental United States if the 

fruit is fumigated either in Chile or at the port of first arrival in the United States with methyl 

bromide in accordance with T101-i-2-1 for Brevipalpus chilensis. An APHIS inspector will 

monitor the fumigation of the fruit and will prescribe such safeguards as may be necessary for 

unloading, handling, and transportation preparatory to fumigation. The final release of the fruit 

for entry into the United States will be conditioned upon compliance with prescribed safeguards 
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and required treatment. 

Efficacy of Risk Management Measures 

There are two measures discussed in this document for mitigating the pests of concern from fresh 

figs and pomegranates from Chile. The measures chosen for risk management on fresh figs and 

pomegranates from Chile are summarized in Table 1. 

Table 1. Summary of risk management requirements for figs and pomegranates from 

Chile. 

Measure(s) Pests Efficacy 

Methyl Bromide 

Fumigation ( T-101-i2-1) 

Brevipalpus chilensis, also 

effective against Ceratitis 

capitata.

Treatment manual (USDA, 2009) 

Pest Free Area Ceratitis capitata must be 

used in conjunction with 

systems approach and 

standard industry 

practices or fumigation for 

Brevipalpus chilensis 

ISPM 22 (FAO, 2005) 

 Summary 

APHIS concludes that commercial shipments of figs and pomegranates that originate from Chile 

may safely be imported into the continental United States without the risk of introducing 

Brevipalpus chilensis and Ceratitis capitata using a combination of the mitigations listed above. 

 Methyl Bromide treatment has been used to import 1,408,165 metric tonnes of grapes from 

Chile that are infested with Brevipalpus chilensis. The current Methyl Bromide treatments are 

considered to be effective in mitigating risk from Brevipalpus chilensis (Castro et al., 2004; 

USDA, 2009). 

Authors 

Paul Gadh 

Senior Risk Manger, RPM 

Walter Gould 

Senior Risk Manager, RPM 

Reviewer 

Claudia Ferguson, 

Regulatory Policy Specialist, RCC 
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5. References 

Castro, D., J. Espinosa and M. Vargas. 2004. Ionising radiation as a quarantine treatment for 

controlling Brevipalpus chilensis (ACARINA: TENUIPALPIDAE) in Thompson 

seedless grapes. Pp. 143 – 153 in “Irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment of food and 

agricultural commodities”. IAEA-TECDOC-1427. 

FAO. 2005. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures. Requirements for the 

establishment of areas of low pest prevalence. ISPM 22. UN-FAO-IPPC, Italy. 

Servicio Agricola y Ganadero. 2004. Pest Risk Assessment for the Fig Fresh Fruits Entry (Ficus 

carica L.) from Chile to the USA. Servicio Agricola y Ganadero, Gobierno de Chile, 

Santiago, Chile. 36 pp. 

USDA. 2000. Guidelines for Pathway-Initiated Pest Risk Assessments. Version 5.02. USDA, 

APHIS, PPQ. Riverdale, MD. 30 pp. 

USDA. 2007. Pest Risk Assessment for Fresh Fruits of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) and 

Fig (Ficus carica) from Chile into the Continental United States. A Pathway Initiated 

Plant Pest Risk Assessment. USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Riverdale, MD. 64pp. 

USDA. 2009. Treatment Manual. USDA-APHIS, PPQ; 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/port/Treatment_Chapters.htm [accessed Aug. 2009].