[for comments to stakeholders up to 2023-03-22] 

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prepared this risk assessment to examine plant pest risks associated with importing commercially-produced fruit of papaya, Carica papaya (Caricaceae), for consumption from Costa Rica into the United States. Based on the market access request submitted by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Costa Rica, we considered the pathway to include the following processes and conditions: papaya fruit at less than half-ripe level of ripeness or maturity that is produced, harvested, and packed in accordance with the applicable provisions in 7 CFR § 319.56. The risk ratings in this risk assessment are contingent upon the application of all components of the pathway as described in this document. Papaya fruit produced under different conditions was not evaluated in this PRA and may have a different pest risk.

Based on the scientific literature, port-of-entry pest interception data, and information from the government of Costa Rica, we developed a pest list which included all potential pests with actionable regulatory status for the United States and Territories that are known to occur in Costa Rica (on any host) and to be associated with Carica papaya (anywhere in the world). Of these, none had a reasonable likelihood of being associated with papaya fruit following harvest and prior to any post-harvest processing and thus is potentially able to follow the pathway.