2015 Ss 0358

Supporting Statement

Importation of Papaya from

Colombia and Ecuador

OMB No. 0579-0358

October 2016

NOTE: This is a reinstatement of a previously approved information collection with changes.

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is responsible for preventing plant pests and noxious weeds from entering the United States, preventing the spread of plant diseases not widely distributed in the United States, and eradicating those imported pests and noxious weeds when eradication is feasible.

Under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 – et seq.), the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to carry out operations or measures to detect, eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or retard the spread of plant pests new to the United States or not known to be widely distributed throughout the United States.

The regulations in “Subpart – Fruits and Vegetables” (Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 319.56, referred to as the regulations), prohibit or restrict the importation of fruits and vegetables into the United States from certain parts of the world to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests that are new to or not widely distributed within the United States.

APHIS’ regulations allow, under certain conditions, the importation of commercial shipments of fresh papaya from Colombia and Ecuador into the continental United States. These conditions for the importation of papaya from Colombia and Ecuador include, but are not limited to, phytosanitary certificates, recordkeeping, grower registration, and reinstatements.

This allows for the importation of papaya from Colombia and Ecuador while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of injurious plant pests into the continental

United States.

APHIS is asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve its use of this information collection activity, for 3 years, in association with its efforts to prevent the spread of plant pests and plant diseases into the continental United States.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

APHIS uses the following information activities to allow, under certain conditions, the importation of commercial shipments of fresh papaya from Colombia and Ecuador into the continental United States.

Phytosanitary Certificate (Foreign Government and Business) – 7 CFR 319.56.25(i)

All consignments of papayas from Colombia and Ecuador would have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of the exporting country stating that the papayas were grown, packed, and shipped in accordance with the proposed requirements. Businesses request the NPPO to provide this service of completing the phytosanitary certificate. This condition would help ensure that the provisions of the regulations have been met.

Fruit Fly Trapping (Foreign Government and Business) – 7 CFR 319.56-25(g)

Beginning at least 1 year before harvest begins and continuing through the completion of harvest, fruit fly traps were maintained in the field where the papayas were grown. The traps were placed at a rate of 1 trap per hectare and were checked for fruit flies at least once weekly by plant health officials of the NPPO. Fifty percent of the traps were of the McPhail type and 50 percent of the traps were of the Jackson type.

Trapping Recordkeeping (Foreign Government and Business) – 7 CFR 319.56-25(g)

NPPO would have to keep records of the fruit fly finds for each trap, update the records each time the traps are checked, and make the records available to APHIS upon request. The records would have to be maintained for at least 1 year.

Grower Registration (Business) – 7 CFR 319.56-25(b)

The papayas were grown by a grower registered with the NPPO of the exporting country and packed for shipment from Colombia or Ecuador to the continental United States (including Alaska).

Grower Registration (Foreign Government) – 7 CFR 319.56-25(b)

The papayas were grown by a grower registered with the NPPO of the exporting country and packed for shipment to the continental United States (including Alaska) in Colombia or Ecuador.

Reinstatement of growers (Foreign Government and Business) – 7 CFR 319.56-25 (g)(1)

In Colombia, if the average McPhail trap catch was greater than seven South American fruit flies (Anastrepha fraterculus) per trap, per week, measures were taken to control the South American fruit fly population in the production area. If the average McPhail fruit fly trap catch exceeds 14 South American fruit flies per trap, per week, importations of papayas from that production area must be halted until the rate of capture drops to an average of 7 or fewer South American fruit flies per trap, per week.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also, describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

APHIS has no control or influence over when foreign countries will automate their phytosanitary certificate. However, APHIS is involved with the Government-wide utilization of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) via the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) to improve business operations and further Agency missions.  This will allow respondents to submit the data required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its Partner Government Agencies (PGAs), such as APHIS  to import and export cargo through a Single Window concept.  APHIS is also establishing a system known as e-File for CARPOL (Certification, Accreditation, Registration, Permitting, and Other Licensing) activities.  This new system will strive to automate some of these information collection activities.  The system is still being developed and business processes continue to be identified and mapped.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purpose described in item 2 above.

The information APHIS collects is exclusive to its mission of preventing the entry of injurious plant pests, diseases, and noxious weeds and is not available from any other source.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

APHIS collects the minimum information needed to protect the United States from destructive plant pests while increasing the number and variety of fruits and vegetables that can be imported from other countries. APHIS has determined that 90 percent of the business respondents are small entities.

6. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

Failing to collect this information would cripple APHIS’ ability to ensure that papaya from Colombia and Ecuador are not carrying fruit flies. If Medfly is introduced into the continental United States, growers in these areas would suffer hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

• requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

• requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

• requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

• requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, governmental contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

• in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;

• requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

• that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statue or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

• requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

No special circumstances exist that would require this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

8. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting form, and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.

APHIS held productive consultations with the following individuals concerning the information collection activities associated with this program:

Rafael Garcia Romero

Subgerencia de Protección y Regulación Agricola

Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario

Transversal 23 No. 19 - 02.  Frente a la antigua Licorera
Calle 37 No. 8-43, piso 5

Bogotá, Colombia

Phone: (+57) 1 670-4852

Luisa Morales

Servicio Ecuatoriano de Sanidad Agropecuaria (SESA)

Av. Amazonas y Eloy Alfaro esquina

Edificio MAGAP piso 9

Quito, Ecuador

Phone: (+593) 2 2544 489

Armando Herrera

S&S International 

Cra.45# 75-119

Barranquilla, Atlantico

Colombia

Phone: 57-3-3576350

On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, page 67700, APHIS published in the Federal Register, a 60-day notice seeking public comments on its plans to request a 3-year renewal of this collection of information. No comments from the public were received.

9. Explain any decisions to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

This information collection activity involves no payments (other than appropriate, program-related payments) or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

No additional assurance of confidentiality is provided with this information collection. Any and all information obtained in this collection shall not be disclosed except in accordance with

5 U.S.C. 552a.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and others that are considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

This information collection activity asks no questions of a personal or sensitive nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.

• Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I.

See APHIS Form 71 for hour burden estimates.

• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.

The estimated annualized cost to respondents totals $4,823. APHIS arrived at this figure by multiplying the total burden hours by the estimated average hourly wage of respondents.

371 hours X $13.00 estimated hourly wage = $4,823.

The estimated hourly wage was provided by the NPPO of Colombia and Ecuador in discussions with APHIS International Services specialists.

13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.

There is zero annual cost burden associated with capital and start-up costs, maintenance costs, and purchase of services in connection with this program.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The estimated cost to the Federal Government is $2,946 (see APHIS Form 79).

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items

13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-1.

	Requested	Program Change Due to New Statute	Program Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Agency Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA	Previously Approved
Annual Number of Responses	1368	0	1368	0	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hr)	371	0	371	0	0	0
Annual Cost Burden ($)	0	0	0	0	0	0

The reinstatement of this information collection resulted in a program change of +158 respondents, +1368 total annual responses, and +371 total burden hours. APHIS is now accounting for the following burden entries that were not included in the previous information collection: Grower Registration and Grower Registration Reinstatement.

16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

APHIS has no plans to tabulate or publish the information collected.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

There are no USDA forms included in this information collection.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act."

APHIS is able to certify compliance with all the provisions in the Act.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

Statistical methods are not used in this information collection.