The Dominican Government has requested the U.S. lift its ban on fruit and vegetable imports, saying the country's efforts to contain the recently Medfly outbreak are working. 

The announcement was made by Agriculture Minister Ángel Estévez, who said authorities were maintaining strict control measures with a high level of vigilance in the area around the Punta Cana International Airport where the pest was detected last month.

On March 13 the Dominican Republic's National Phytosanitary Protection Organization informed the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) a Medfly detection had been made, which led to the ban being imposed.

Estévez said experts had set some 22,000 traps in the 22km (14 mile) containment area and had managed to reduce the Medfly's population by more than 50%.

No further detections have been reported in other parts of the country.

Authorities are now hoping to eradicate the pest within a month's time, and strict vigilance is being maintained in the country's ports and airports.

This week, eight experts in pest eradication from Guatemala and two from the U.S. arrived in the Caribbean country to assist the authorities.

In addition, some 25 metric tons (MT) of fruit have reportedly been burned to ensure the pest doesn't spread.

Despite the U.S. trade restrictions, the Dominican Republic continues to export fruits and vegetables to other markets, including the EU.

It has also began talks with other countries to gain alternative markets and is carrying out a campaign to try and boost consumption of local products.

Estévez said 36 containers of fruit and vegetables were shipped to Canada last week alone. In the case of Russia, the minister said talks were still in progress and experts would soon visit to evaluate the quality of the fruits.

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