Initiative benefits more than 33,000 growers in the region and consolidates its position as Peru’s leading exporter of mangoes
A fruit fly eradication project led by Peru’s plant health authority Senasa has benefited some 33,000 growers in Piura and helped establish the zone as the country’s leading producer and exporter of fresh mangoes.
The five-year project, which ran from 2019-2024, covered the production areas of San Lorenzo, Alto Piura, Chira, Piura, Paita, La Tina/Guineo, Medio Piura, Interandino Alto Piura, Huanca bamba and Ayabaca.
As reported by Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Midagri), it has reduced levels of fruit fly to just 0.004 flies per trap per day over some 70,000ha of fruit and vegetable crops.
The announcement was made during a ceremony to present the results and achievements of the project, which received the backing of the regional authorities, mayors, producers and agro-exporters.
“This situation promotes the development of family agriculture and strengthens agro-exports in this important northern region, since by presenting such a low MTD index it allows producers to increase their harvests and find new international markets for their products, mitigating the risk of the pest,” said the head of Senasa, Vilma Gutarra.
Fruit fly is one of the main pests that impacts the production and trade of fresh fruit and vegetables globally, affecting crops such as mangoes, grapes, blueberries, citrus, amongst others.
