The Medfly ban on exporting fresh vegetables to the United States has caused financial ruin for many greenhouse operations in Jarabacoa, as reported in El Caribe. The ban on fresh produce has mainly affected the export of bell peppers and tomatoes causing major losses to producers. The president of the greenhouse cluster of Jarabacoa, Romulo Abreu Jerez, estimated losses in the range of RD$10-RD$20 million over the three-month period since the ban was put in place. Mr. Abreu Jerez said that producers do not know whether they can plan for planting for the next harvest, given the uncertainty of the export market to the US for these products and the grave financial situation that the greenhouse cluster members are facing.