Brazilian government prepares national program to fight the fruit fly‏

One of the main fruit pest in Brazil, the fruit fly should be tackled in the country through a national program made by the Plant Health Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply. The goal is to integrate existent initiatives for the control, eradication and surveillance of several species of the fruit fly as well as boosting new strategies to elevate the quality of national production and increasing export markets.

 

The Department of Plant Health estimates that the losses generated by the pest are at approximately R$ 180 million (US$ 62.6 million). Annually, there are expenditures of nearly US$ 6 million just to maintain one of the main species under control, the Carambola fly (Bactrocera carambolae), which is only seen in the states of Roraima and Amapá.

 

"This year we will have a technical discussion to create a group of experts that will work as a support for strategies and some defined axis. For plant health, the fly is equivalent to the mad cow disease in terms of worries," says Luis Eduardo Rangles, director of the department.

 

According to Rangel, in order to have a good performance in the program, the Risk Mitigation Systems, already installed for exports, the use and expansion of areas of crop protection (traps and biological control) and the eradication actions that should be aligned with the strategies of the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

The national program would strengthen mango, grape, papaya, and other cucurbits producers which are conducted in small and average rural properties for the export and national markets. "These actions would necessarily rely on the effective participation of the private sector interested in the process and the continuity of the program mostly by phytosanitary education" , said Rangel.