In a Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) bulletin published on March 21, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Animal Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) announced the expansion of the Risk-Based Sampling at Ports of Entry (RBS POE) program to include maritime shipments of bananas and plantains.

The CSMS provides a list of countries of origin that could have shipments sampled under RBS POE. PPQ and CBP stated that there would be no changes in required documentation for these entries but recommend that trade partners “file entry paperwork before arrival if possible and include APHIS Core Message Set data to ensure their shipments are processed according to RBS POE procedures.”

The RBS POE expansion for bananas and plantains will begin the week of March 25, 2024.

CSMS # 59886037 can be found here:
https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-391c9d5?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2

For more information on the RBS POE program, please visit:
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/protecting-agriculture/risk-based-sampling-ports-entry