Chilean authorities have made the third detection of Medtierranean fruit fly in the capital Santiago half a century, leading the Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) to fumigate the area. 

SAG announced two finds had been made in the neighborhoods of Ñuñoa and San Joaquín a couple of weeks ago, and a 7.2 kilometer quarantine area has now been established.

Professor Roberto González from the University of Chile's Agricultural Sciences Faculty said the pest first entered the country in 1963, most likely from Peru.

"This pest is a very serious issue for our exports, " he said, adding it had been found on 40 separate occasions in various regions throughout the country.

"Its recent appearance in Santiago marks the third time it has been found here since it first arrived in the country, with the first in 1966 and second in 2005-06."

Control measures currently in place include increased monitoring, mandatory treatments, destruction of fruit, and fumigation operations which are taking place every day this week.

Two other Mediterranean fruit fly detections have been made in the South American country this year, with one in the IV (Coquimbo) region in March, and another a few weeks later in the V (Valparaiso) region next Santiago.

Photo: Wikimedia Creative Commons

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