Brazilian Agriculture Department audits apple orchards for export to Colombia

"The objective of the audit was to verify compliance with the phytosanitary requirements demanded by the importing country. In these production units, we monitored fruit flies of the species Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus", says the head of the Plant Health Defense Division at Seapdr, Rita Antochevis. State agricultural inspector Liese Vargas, who also participated in the audit, explains that these insects are important threats to world fruit production, as they develop inside the fruits when they are still larvae, feeding on the pulp. "For this reason, measures such as monitoring in the orchards and cold treatment of the fruits before shipping are required by importing countries, precisely to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of the pest", he details. The monitoring of these insects is already carried out in apple orchards, as part of the production process. "To make exports to Colombia viable, the MAD index - fly/trap/day must be less than 0.14, when ...