Brazil Mapa to conduct project to eradicate carambola fruit fly

Date:10-13-2016

The Carambola Fruit Fly (Bactrocera carambolae) is one of the species of flies that causes the most serious damage to Brazilian fruit sales. Currently, it is considered key in the sector because of its capacity of affecting yields, the quality of the product, and consequently, the country's exports. The plague attacks several fruits, such as star fruit, mango, oranges, cashew, acerola, tangerines, iamb, and even bananas.

In Brazil, it was identified for the first time in 1996 in the extreme north of the country, and today, major breakouts occur in the state of Amapá. Farmers fear the Carambola Fruit Fly is now advancing to other production regions, such as the São Francisco Valley.

In response, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (Mapa) and the Center of Advanced Studies in Applied Economics of the University of São Paulo (Cepea/USP) planned a project for the eradication of the Carambola Fruit Fly, which was presented in Brasília to the major entities in the agricultural sector.

According to the director of the Department of Vegetable Health at Mapa, Marcus Coelho, the goal is to eradicate the plague in Brazil, especially along the northern border, and end the problem of accessing new markets, as the advancement of the Carambola Fruit Fly would have led to the closure of the main market that purchases fruit in Brazil. “We have come to present the project and accept contributions from the production sector, such as the acceleration of immediate referrals, so that within 15 years, we will have solved the problem,” he explained.

For the researcher at Cepea/USP, Silvia Helena Miranda, the project raises issues of methodology, economic visibility, plague control, and the benefits of plague eradication. According to her, with the end of the Carambola Fruit Fly, Brazil will be able to maintain its export volumes of fruit such as mangoes, oranges, and guavas, as well as avoid losses on fruit that could not be exported, rising costs of fruit production due to the use of agrochemicals, yield loss, and additional expenditure by the government. “It also prevents the plague from affecting large-scale production and having a major impact on the economy,” she stated.