The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock declared a phytosanitary emergency for the uncontrolled presence of the carambola fly, a 7mm insect that can devastate fruit plantations, and risks causing Brazil a loss of R$400 million per year in exports, according to an estimate from Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Company)
Experts confirm that the pest represents a risk for fresh fruit production, mainly aimed at export. The proliferation of the insect can cause direct economic losses, with a reduction in crops, an increase in production costs due to the use of control measures, monitoring and coexistence with the pest and a lower production value, due to the loss of quality.
There are also indirect impacts, with the elimination of markets and quarantine requirements for exports. In an interview with CNN O professor of Entomology at Esalq-USP, Marcoandre Savaris, highlights the importance of caring for affected fruits “it is necessary to impose restrictions to prevent this pest from spreading to other regions. In addition to keeping the species monitored in the Amazon region.”
The phytosanitary emergency, for now, has been declared in four states: Amapá, Amazonas, Pará and Roraima. The measure, published on Monday (13) in the Official Gazette of the Union, is valid for one year and aims to control the risk of the plague spreading to other locations in the country.
For the USP professor, the first action to be taken is to prevent the circulation of fruit from regions in a state of emergency. “Despite being restricted at the moment, it is necessary to be very careful not to disperse the larvae. With biological control and the use of other insects, monitoring these fruits becomes much more efficient.”
Until now, according to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), in an attempt to control the pest, the use of the male annihilation technique, food attractant, spraying, fruit collection, plant eradication, monitoring and inspection of points have been adopted. entry of goods and passengers and phytosanitary education actions.
The carambola fly and the larva do not cause any problems to humans, Savaris states that this is not an insect that will cause any type of disease, just damage to fruits. And regarding the environment, it only implies the proliferation of fruits, generating an early fall.
The pest causes a major problem for the economy and the employment sector, “commercial interest is now affected by the unviability of these fruits for internal and external commercialization. In addition to the fruit production chain, which has many people involved”, says Marcoandre Savaris.
Native to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the species was first detected in Brazil in 1996, in Amapá. When feeding on a fruit, the insect deposits larvae that become hosts and accelerate the ripening process and fall of the already damaged fruit.
In addition to carambola, which is most preferred, the pest can also attack other fruits, such as guava, mango, jambo, acerola and tangerine, making the fruits unviable for human consumption and increasing the cost of production due to combat measures.
Since 2017, MAPA has established procedures for preventing and eradicating the quarantine plague, that is, it is restricted to some regions of the country. Until the beginning of 2023, the carambola fly was restricted to the states of Amapá, Roraima and Pará; and in March, Roraima was declared under indefinite quarantine.
Source: CNN Brasil
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