20 municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte were recognized as free of fruit flies

In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, 20 municipalities were recognized as free of fruit flies (Anastrepha grandis). The official recognition of the Pest Free Area is a primary requirement for Brazilian products to access world markets which don't have the pest.

Brazil is the third largest fruit producer in the world, with an annual production of about 40 million tons, and only about 3 percent of this volume is exported. In May 2021, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) published Ordinance No. 305, which admits the expansion of the fruit fly pest-free area in the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará.

The validated municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte are Tibau, Mossoró, Areia Branca, Grossos, Assú, Serra do Mel, Afonso Bezerra, Baraúna, Ipanguassu, Alto do Rodrigues, Upanema, Porto do Mangue, Felipe Guerra, Apodi, Gov. Dix-Sept Rosado, Caraúbas, Pendiente, Macao, Pedro Avelino and Jandaíra.

According to Roberto Carlos Razera Papa, the Federal Superintendent of Agriculture at RN, in addition to the export programs already in effect to China, Mercosur and North America, several Asian countries have already expressed their interest in Brazilian melons grown without phytosanitary risks.

Luiz Roberto Barcelos, the president of Agrícola Famosa, commented that the expansion of pest free area will allow fruit growers of Río Grande do Norte to generate more income, create more jobs, and reduce poverty, especially in the Mossoró and Chapada do Apodi region.

source: gov.br, abrafrutas.org

photo: portalfruticola.com