Windset Farms® has become the first company to ship bell peppers to Japan following recently approved market access. Many bodies were involved in the process including the BC Ministry of Agriculture, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and other government bodies of Japan.
Windset Farms® has been involved in the process of opening this market, working with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and CFIA to set up the necessary steps and procedures. The main requirement for import into Japan was regarding Tobacco Blue Mold, a fungus which can affect bell peppers.
As a current exporter of tomatoes to Japan, we are honored and excited to have the opportunity to ship our fresh, greenhouse grown peppers to our customers across the seas.
“Our peppers are grown in climate controlled greenhouses resulting in safe, consistently high-quality vegetables that will help our customers fill demand throughout the year” says John Newell, owner and COO of Windset Farms. Windset Farms grows a wide variety of peppers across 200 acres in British Columbia.
This process of gaining market access has been over 25 years in the making between the Canadian and Japanese government bodies. “The Government of Canada continues to work to create new opportunities for Canadian farmers and agri-food exporters in key markets all over the world,” says Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Canada). “I am pleased that producers can start exporting B.C. greenhouse peppers to Japan,” he adds.
