Argentina Says They Have Green Light to Ship Lemons to US

Argentina's foreign ministry said they have received notice from USDA that it has given a "definitive authorization" for Argentina to ship lemons to the U.S.The decision ends a 16-year period where Argentine lemons were kept out of the U.S. market. The shipments could reach 20,000 metric tons and be worth $50 million, the ministry said. The agreement to reopen the U.S. market to Argentine lemons came in part due to the visit last week by Vice President Mike Pence. It was initially raised by Argentine President Mauricio Macri in a session with President Donald Trump in April.USDA, however, has so far not made any official announcement of the action.The Argentine agency announced the U.S. action August 17. The announcement on lemons came as the U.S. announced that Argentina had agreed to reopen its market to U.S. pork, a market that had been closed for 25 years. Talks are also underway on resuming Argentine beef, sheep meat, sweet citrus and other fruits, the ministry noted.