  
  
G/C/W/80 9  
12 May 2022 
(22-3719) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Goods  Original: Spanish  
 
  
COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  
ECUADOR – IMPORT RESTRICTIONS ON GRAPES AND ONIONS1 
Communication from Peru  
The following communication, dated 25 April 2022, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Peru . 
 
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1. Peru would like to present to WTO Members its trade concern with respect to the restrictive 
measures applied by Ecuador on the reopening of access for grapes and onions from Peru.  
 
2. Firstly, despite the fact that the Agreement on the  Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (SPS Agreement) provides that approval procedures must be undertaken without undue 
delay, Ecuador has provided replies that appear to stall access for Peruvian grapes to the market 
concerned beyond what i s necessary, for example:  
 
a. Ecuador submitted an unscheduled request for an inspection visit, and the inspection 
report was sent to Peru after seven months;  
 
b. Ecuador unilaterally changed the action plan proposed by Peru to access the market for 
grapes;  
 
c. It was proposed, without any technical justification and disregarding the fact that, 
historically, trade is conducted by land and that grapes should enter by ship only via 
Guayaquil seaport;  
 
d. The use of refrigerated transport for grape consignments was proposed, despite this 
bearing no relation to the risk of the presence of pesticides . 
 
3. In addition, in the case of onions, despite the fact that the ban on Peruvian imports has been 
deemed to be a trade -restrictive measure within the su bregion, according to Resolution No. 2253 of 
the Andean Community ,2 Ecuador has requested a new risk analysis to provide access to its market . 
 
4. It should be noted that the Ecuadorian regulations imposing restrictions on Peruvian exports 
of grapes and o nions were not notified to the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
(SPS Committee), despite the fact that this measure establishes additional requirements that have 
an impact on the trade of other Members . 
 
 
1 This statement was delivered by the delegation of Peru during the Council for Trade in Goods meeting 
held on 21 -22 April 2022 , under agenda item 1 1. 
2 Resolu tion available at : 
https://www.comunidadand ina.org/DocOficialesFiles/Gacetas/Gaceta%204415.pdf . G/C/W/80 9 
 
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  5. Considering that the measures app lied by Ecuador contravene the provisions of the SPS 
Agreement ,3 we request Ecuador to : 
 
a. avoid proposing measures that violate the provisions of the SPS Agreement and the 
basic principles of the WTO ; 
 
b. ensure that it does not disregard the technical agreements previously established ; 
 
c. notify its measure and give the other WTO Members the opportunity to submit 
comments; and  
 
d. provide access for imports of Peruvian grapes and onions . 
 
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3 Concerns previously raised in the March 2022 SPS Committee, as well as in documents 
G/SPS/GEN/1937, G/SPS/GEN/1975 and G/SPS/GEN/1907, and in the WTO SPS Committee on 5, 6 and 
13 November 2020 . 