A dozen exotic pests threatens Brazil

At least a dozen exotic pests may enter in Brazil in the next few years and the consequences of this event will be disastrous, stated Aldo Malavasi, retired professor of genetics at USP and director at Moscamed.

The consequences will result in production decrease, bigger contamination and export decline. Producers are the ones that have to deal with losses since they have higher costs by having to use new chemicals and to use them in significant amount, besides the drop in production.

The country loses as well because the trade barriers will be enhanced due to new pests.Malavasi says these new pests can get easily through Brazilian border. The main reason is the omission during the inspection done by the Department of Agriculture, according to him.

This problem also exists in other countries, but when a situation like this occurs there is an effective detection system. New Zealand, Chile and the United States are examples of countries that have a great biosafety concern.

Malavasi says the country needs a radical overhaul for plant protection. Otherwise, there will be pests entering Brazil every two years. These pests can come from Africa, Venezuela, Paraguay and other countries.

The Department of Agriculture says there are 28 border posts, with staff working permanently. But it is not possible to cover the entire length of the boundaries of Brazil, because of the continental size of the country.“There is no omission and it is not possible to have absolute safety”, says the Department.

Efforts are at critical points. Researchers, experts and the government gather in São Paulo to discuss this subject.