Producers in northern Chile adhere to fruit fly protocol to protect cherry campaign

Fresh Sweet Cherry

Fruits

Chile

Regulation & Compliances

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Published Mar 26, 2024

Tridge summary

In early November 2023, a quarantine was imposed in a 7.2 km area around Ovalle and Punitaqui communes in the Coquimbo region of Chile, following the detection of two male fruit flies by the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG). This measure has significantly impacted local fruit exports, particularly to China, forcing producers to find alternative markets and accept lower prices. The situation is further complicated by a severe drought affecting the region. Despite these challenges, the article highlights the potential of cherry farming as a sustainable and economically viable alternative for agriculture in water-scarce areas. Cherry cultivation is praised for its ability to generate employment, attract foreign currency, and offer high returns, making it a promising avenue for maintaining the viability of fruit growing in the area amidst environmental and economic challenges.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

At the beginning of November 2023, the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) detected two male specimens of fruit flies (Ceratitis capitata), the first of them found in a loquat tree and the second 400 meters away in an orange tree in the Ovalle commune, Punitaqui route sector in the Coquimbo region. In this context, the SAG began a campaign, which considers a quarantined area of 7.2 kilometers and that includes the communes of Ovalle and Punitaqui, with the objective of eradicating this pest that affects a wide variety of fruit trees and that It is located in the rural sector, continuing the field campaign to date. In this context, we spoke with the production manager of Agroindustrial Valle Arriba, Jorge Astudillo, explained that the detection of the fruit fly generated a quarantine, which meant not being able to export directly to some markets that have restrictions, for example, China. Given the relevance of the Chinese market, which in the last season consumed a total of ...

Source: MXfruit