Dominican Medfly outbreak far from commercial fruit production, says mango rep - FreshFruitPortal.com

Dominican Medfly outbreak far from commercial fruit production, says mango rep

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Dominican Medfly outbreak far from commercial fruit production, says mango rep

A Dominican mango industry head has said the consequences of the Medfly outbreak that led to the U.S. import ban of certain fruits should be small as it occurred far away from major fruit production areas.Ā mango_47852692 sq

A representative of industry body Mango Cluster told www.freshfruitportal.com the northern area of Punta Cana where the Mediterranean fruit fly was detected was a major tourist destination, and no commercial farms of fruit fly hosts were located nearby.

The U.S. announced a ban on various fruits recently following the Medfly detection. The fruits affected include avocados, clementines, grapes, grapefruit, lemons, litchis, mandarins, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peppers, pummelos, tangelos, tangerines and tomatoes.

"In that area there are lots of sugarcane plantations, but no commercial mango or avocado production, or anything that can act as a host to this fly," the group's president Rafael Leger said.

According to Leger, a technical team from the U.S. has been working in conjunction with Dominican authorities to halt the fly's progress and eliminate it so it doesn't reach commercial production zones.

He said the majority of mango plantations were located in the country's southwest.

In addition, Leger pointed out there were no major maritime ports in the Punta Cana region, but did say there was one major airport that was sometimes used for airfreight shipments.

"All the producers are hoping that the pest will be stopped, and that we will be able to eradicate it completely.Ā Hopefully this will all be over soon," Leger said, adding he was hopeful trade would resume with the U.S. within "a few weeks."

The Mango Cluster head said the Caribbean country exported roughly 2.5 million boxes of mangoes annually, with the majority bound for Europe and 10% sent to the U.S.

He also believed there was a possibility of mangoes continuing trade with the U.S. 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 green avocados were the most heavily exported variety to the U.S.

In terms of preventative 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.

A representative of another company, Bonao-based Exportadora E Importadora Tavarez - which exports avocados, lemons and oranges to the U.S - was also hopeful for a swift resolution to the trade restrictions.

"We're expecting this to be resolved within a few weeks' time," company administrator Yocelin Tavarez said.

"The FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] is carrying out investigation in the country, and we're expecting their answer soon."

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