Pest Risk Assessments: The key to exporting fresh fruits and vegetables to the United States

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) removed the tariffs that made it difficult for Sub-Saharan African countries to export to the United States. In spite of AGOA, countries in West Africa have not been able to export their fresh fruits and vegetables to the United States because of other U.S. regulations designed to stop pests and diseases from crossing borders. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) restricts fresh products from entering the United States until a pest risk assessment has been conducted and a rule has been placed in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations that allows the new commodity to enter. More