Citrus producers in the northern part of the province of Misiones are undergoing a distressing situation after the National Health and Food Quality Service blocked the province because of the appearance of the Huanglonbing (HLB or citrus greening) virus in some plantations. The measure was taken to prevent the virus from spreading to other parts of the country.
There's a climate of intense discomfort among the producers affected by the measure that doesn't allow them to transport citrus fruit outside the province. According to producer Ricardo Ranger, "the fruits are falling from the plants and we have already lost 2,000 tons of fruits." Furthermore, he said,"I have fifty employees that could lose their jobs."
Ranger said the "HLB does not affect humans, it only kills the infected plants. It is extremely harmful for the plants, but it doesn't harm humans. Therefore, the fruits are completely consumable as the virus poses no risks for human health."
Since the fruits infected by the virus are safe to eat, producers removed all the plant debris left in the fruit boxes, such as leaves or branches, and the fruits were bathed with a special chemical oil that eliminated the tiny vector in the fruit that transmits the HLB virus, all under strict supervision of an inspector from SENASA.
This made it feasible to transport the fruit, however, SENASA determined on Friday that this would no longer be enough and that the fruits could not be transported despite being decontaminated beforehand. Instead of determining the focus of the disease, the health agency blocked all transport of fruits from the north of the province.
Producers accused Senasa. "SENASA wants to destroy the citrus industry in Misiones," stated Ranger, adding that SENASA was responsible for allowing the income of smuggled Paraguayan citrus plants, which were infected by the HLB virus, which ultimately lead to the current situation.
Source: misionesonline.net