<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Washington D.C.-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">2.13.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA has announced that it has imposed sanctions on a produce business for failure to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/Dajlala_Produce_PACA_Violation_BODY.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Wednesday 02132013 2" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>McAllen, Texas-based Abraham Dajlala, doing business as Dajlala Produce is currently restricted from operating in the produce industry for failure to pay an $11,153 award in favor of a New Jersey seller. Abraham Dajlala was listed as the sole proprietor of the business at the time of issuance of the reparation order.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>PACA provides a forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions and outstanding payments. This may result in a reparation order being issued that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. The USDA is required to impose sanctions on a business that fails to pay PACA reparations as well as impose restrictions against principals held responsible. Those principals held responsibly connected to the business when an order is issued may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA-approval.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating under to the PACA. All oversight of actions related to the PACA are conducted by AMS.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 5,000 claims filed under the PACA involving $96 million.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/" target="_new">Agricultural Marketing Service </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
