Effective Oct. 29, the USDA has decided to authorize U.S. imports of Mexican fresh soursop fruit (Annona muricata), also known as guanabana.
Based on findings of a pest risk analysis, the USDA said it determined that specified phytosanitary measures will mitigate the risks of introducing plant pests or weeds via fruit imports. The USDA said the soursop fruit must be irradiated as a condition of entry.
Soursop is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is in the same genus as the cherimoya fruit. Its flavor has been described as a combination of strawberries, apples and citrus notes.
Mexico is a major producer of soursops, the USDA said.
The production of soursops increased rapidly in Mexico up to 2021, when Mexican producers grew 39,905 tons of soursops on 10,012 planted acres. That reflected a 380% increase in production and a 260% increase in planted acreage from 2000, when 8,321 tons of soursops were produced on 2,792 planted acres.
In 2023, this moderated as Mexican producers grew 30,121 tons of soursops on 8,080 planted acres. That still reflected a 262% increase in production and a 190% increase in planted acres from 2000. Mexico’s agriculture officials estimate that 200 metric tons of fresh soursops would initially be exported to the continental U.S. each year if exports were authorized.
From 2017 to 2023, the U.S. imported an average of 256 tons of fresh soursops per year from Grenada, with an average value of $1.2 million in customs value.
