Rio Grande do Sul establishes new rules for the citrus sector

As a form of protection and development of the citrus industry in Rio Grande do Sul, Normative Instruction (IN) No. 14/2024 was published today in the Official State Gazette (DOE), which establishes actions for the Plant Health Defense of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation (Seapi). The regulations will come into force in 60 days, time to adapt to the new measures.

Among the definitions, the IN establishes complementary criteria and procedures for the prevention of the pest Candidatus liberibacter spp., which causes HLB and the vector insect Diaphorina citri (citrus psyllid), still unregistered in Rio Grande do Sul. The disease known as Greening is one of the most serious and destructive in the global citrus industry, attacking all types of citrus and which does not have an efficient curative treatment for diseased plants.

According to the director of Seapi's Plant Defense Department, Ricardo Felicetti. The use of inappropriate seedlings is the main risk of diseases such as greening in the state and the regulations meet the sector's demands for greater phytosanitary protection of the crop. 

"We are reinforcing protective measures for the state's citrus industry, especially in the restoration of new orchards with a view to using pathogen-free seedlings, such as Greening. Many citrus growers had their orchards compromised by floods and, in the restoration of these orchards, we are providing guarantees of use of pest-free seedlings", he states. 

The Normative Instruction defines that the entry into Rio Grande do Sul of seedlings or any propagative material of the genera Citrus, Fortunella and Poncirus, produced in other Units of the Federation or abroad, is subject to Prior Authorization issued by the Secretariat through the Department of Plant Defense (DDV/Seapi). The authorization request must be made 30 days in advance using an online form and sending documents by email.

The formal entry authorization document, called “Authorization for Entry of Citrus Seedlings and Propagation Materials”, must accompany the transit of the material, plus the Conformity Term (TC) of the material, the Invoice and the Transit Permit for Plants (PTV) or Phytosanitary Certificate (CF).

In addition, transportation also has new rules, with the material having to be packed in a means of transport with a closed body or with an anti-aphid screen, in individualized lots, packaged and with a description on the packaging of the issuer's data contained in the tax document and the lot information. described in the PTV and TC. Commercial production establishments of citrus or propagative material of plants of the genera Citrus, Fortunella and Poncirus, those with more than 50 plants, must register their property and production area in the Agricultural Defense System (SDA) of the Secretariat of Agriculture .

Prohibition

The new legislation also establishes a ban on the sale of propagative material from plants of the genera Citrus, Fortunella, Poncirus and the species Murraya paniculata in warehouses or supply centers. And the prohibition on the entry of seedlings of Murraya paniculata (myrtle), from states with HLB occurrence, is maintained, as set out in Ordinance 133/2011, from Seapi.