South Africa has seen some major successes in addressing one of its most detrimental agricultural pests, the False Codling Moth (FCM). According to Citrus Growers’ Association special envoy Deon Joubert, there were just nine FCM interceptions during the 2018 citrus season. This really is a major achievement compared to the 61 interceptions (from official and unofficial sources) last year.
Of the nine interceptions, seven were in the Netherlands and two in the UK. Four of the interceptions came from Limpopo Valencias, one from an Eastern Cape Valencia, two from Limpopo soft citrus and one each from Western and Eastern Cape navels.
“We are doing very well in our mitigation of FCM,” said Joubert. “Much like CBS our industry has taken a proactive approach and we are working together to achieve zero interceptions.”
FCM became a regulated pest in the EU this year for the first time, subjecting exporters to a new set of requirements – that all fruit must either be sourced from an FCM-free area or must be subjected to an effective treatment to ensure that it’s free of FCM.
Source: ftwonline.co.za