Nearly 70% of the citrus production, including oranges and mandarins, in the district of San Juan del Oro province of Sandia were significantly affected by the fruit fly plague, stated Jose Orlando Jara Cabrera, mayor of this municipality.
Farmers used to produce between 50 and 80 thousand citrus per year, but now their production has decreased and stands between 8 and 10 thousand citrus per year because of this plague.
"Unfortunately the regional and central authorities haven't said anything, even though we submitted all the documents and applications necessary so that they could help us," added the mayor, after saying that they had asked for help from the National Agrarian Health Service of Lima and Puno, but without any response.
Cabrera said there was no plan in place to control this pest in the area, despite having executed the Fruit Regional Project, which came to an end and was currently being liquidated.
"We wanted this project to be extended until December; however, the regional government gave us a negative answer," he said.
Likewise, he recalled that there currently was no public investment project aimed at strengthening fruit production in the region of Puno.
"The local government is the only one devoting and investing its resources to address the fruit and agricultural problem in the area," said Cabrera.
One thousand farmers affected
There are about a thousand farmers engaged in the production of citrus, coffee, cocoa and others crops in the district of San Juan del Oro.
Orange, mandarin, banana, pineapple, and passion fruit, among others, are sold to markets in the Puno region, mainly to the cities of Puno and Juliaca.
The fruit fly and the yellow rust are the two main problems faced by farmers in the jungle town of Puno. The yellow rust affects coffee crops.
In October 2014, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM) declared the state of emergency for 60 days in coffee growing areas because of the yellow rust plague. Nevertheless the problem persists at Sandia.
Source: larepublica.pe