The fruit fly, a very harmful pest for crops, is no longer only found in fruits. It is now also attacking vegetables and other plants such as peppers, cacti and some flowers, Senasa's executive director, Armando Muñante del Castillo, confirmed.
A few insects (less than ten) were found in damaged peppers in the Tambo Valley and Majes irrigation. However, it is necessary to reduce the number so that Arequipa can be considered a fruit fly free area. Senasa recommended farmers to find a fruit or vegetable marred by the pest, to bag it and then bury it. Since January, there have been ten checkpoints in Arequipa that seize fruits that enter the country without the Internal Transit Phytosanitary Certificate issued by Senasa. More than twenty tons have been seized between January and September.
Source: Larepublica.pe