Dominican Mango Cluster president Rafael Leger believes that the effect on local production of the Medfly outbreak that led to the US imposing an import ban on several fruits and vegetables should be minimal, because it occurred far away from major fruit production areas.
Speaking to Fresh Fruit Portal, he pointed out that the Punta Cana International Airport is located in an area that is a major tourist destination and that no commercial fruit farms are located nearby. Leger said that there are lots of sugarcane plantations in the area but no commercial mango or avocado production or any crop that could act as a host to the fly.
Last week the US announced a ban on avocado, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, orange, papaya, peppers, pomelo, tangelo, tangerine and tomato exports.
Leger told the portal that a specialist team from the US has been working with Dominican authorities to halt the fly’s progress and eliminate it so it doesn’t reach commercial production zones. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) is carrying out research in the country.
“All the producers are hoping that the pest will be stopped, and that we will be able to eradicate it completely. Hopefully this will all be over soon,” Leger told Fresh Fruit Portal, adding he was hopeful trade would resume with the US within “a few weeks.”
The Mango Cluster head said the Caribbean country exported roughly 2.5 million boxes of mangoes annually, most of which is bound for Europe and 10% sent to the U.S.
He also believes there is a possibility of mangoes continuing trade with the US earlier than other major crops like tomatoes and avocados, as the pest could be eliminated with the use of hot water treatment.
Leger noted the avocado harvest was currently in full swing and so a prolonged trade ban now would cause problems, but he was optimistic the situation would be resolved quickly enough to not be a serious concern.
“If this situation is resolved quickly it shouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience for them,” he said, adding that green avocados were the most heavily exported variety to the United States.
In terms of preventive measures to avoid an outbreak like this happening again, Leger said a project was currently being developed to teach farmers good practices, such as not leaving fruit on the ground.
http://www.freshfruitportal.com/2015/03/25/dominican-medfly-outbreak-far-from-commercial-fruit-production-says-mango-rep/