The first license issued to a Bahian company to export papaya to the United States will be presented today in a ceremony on the Bello Fruit farm, in the Bahian municipality of Mucuri.

The secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture’s department of Agricultural Protection, Gabriel Alves Maciel, will participate in the ceremony, together with governor Paulo Souto and other Bahian government officials.

The ceremony will also mark the inauguration of the Northeast’s first officially certified fruit packing house.

Brazil is the world’s largest papaya producer, with 1.6 million tons, annually, followed by Mexico (950 thousand) and Nigeria (750 thousand).

Bahia, which accounts for 55% of the Brazilian total, received a license last December to sell the fruit to the US market.

ABr