In order to protect the production of strawberries and grapes, SAGARPA published in the Official Journal of the Federation the Agreement establishing phytosanitary measures to control and mitigate the spread of fruit flies of the spotted wing (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura).
The agreement was issued because the National Health Service, Food Safety and Quality (SENASICA) considered the fruit fly of the spotted wing as a regulated pest for Mexico, as it can affect international trade of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes.
This agreement benefits producers of raspberry, strawberry and blackberry, which are grown in more than 19,645 hectares and produce over 385,928 tons.
According to the SIAP, the entities with the biggest production of these fruits are: Michoacan, Jalisco, Baja California, Guanajuato, Colima and Mexico State.
The agreement will also benefit table and wine grape producers, who have a total of 27,872 acres in eight states of the Mexican Republic, especially in Baja California, Sonora and Zacatecas. According to the SIAP, their production in 2011 amounted to 281,144 tons, i.e. more than 4,004,736,000 pesos.
The agreement must be complied by the individuals and companies that produce, handle, store, move or market fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and grapes produced or originating in areas under phytosanitary control, except when they have been industrialized.
The agreement provides that, in order to mitigate the risk of spread of the pest, SENASICA -through the Directorate General of Plant Protection- will perform actions such as setting traps and obtaining samples that will be sent to the National Phytosanitary Reference Centre for diagnosis in order to detect the presence of the fruit fly of spotted wings.
The SENASICA, with the support of the head of each entity's Plant Health program, will supervise trained staff from the Auxiliaries Plant Protection Organizations (OASV) as they conduct controls in the states.
The agreement takes into consideration control actions that must be applied if the pest is detected, as well as training for producers and technicians, which will be given by the corresponding OASV, or host companies producing fruit.
Another aspect of the agreement is the fruit's traceability and the steps to be taken to maintain the free of pest status, such as epidemiological surveillance and mobilization controls.
Source: Sagarpa