The South African deciduous fruit industry proudly announces the launch of a Centre of Excellence dedicated to advancing pest monitoring and safeguarding the future of the industry. This new initiative, spearheaded by industry association Hortgro, addresses the increasing challenges posed by invasive pests and diseases.
Hortgro Executive Director Anton Rabe emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive pest surveillance as new pests increasingly threaten the industry's sustainability and profitability, from crop damage to quarantine risks. "We must understand where pests occur and where they don't, as this directly influences crop protection strategies and practices," Rabe stated. Catching an invasive pest as soon as it arrives in the country may allow us to eradicate it before it has gained a foothold. In addition, advance warning on the arrival of a pest or disease buys our industry critical time to develop management practices and manage phytosanitary concerns.
To meet this goal, the Centre of Excellence will build upon the monitoring capacity of FruitFly Africa (FFA), an operating company with industry-wide support, which has managed pest monitoring services since 2001. The FFA has been instrumental in tracking and controlling pests like the Mediterranean fruit fly across all major deciduous fruit production areas. Their initiatives include monitoring more than 6,000 traps and producing and releasing millions of sterile Mediterranean fruit flies annually to manage populations.
The Centre will enhance these efforts, expanding surveillance to other significant pests, including the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) and spotted wing Drosophila (SWD). This strategic expansion positions the deciduous fruit industry as a proactive leader in pest and disease surveillance. The capacity established at FFA can also be utilized by other industries, such as berries, wine, and table grapes. The Centre of Excellence initiative will ensure that the deciduous fruit industry remains resilient and internationally competitive despite the threat of invasive pests.
Fruitfly Africa fast facts
FFA monitors more than 6,000 traps in all major deciduous fruit production areas:
Mediterranean fruit fly: 3,300 traps
Oriental fruit fly: 1,290 traps
Spotted wing Drosophila: 57 traps
False Codling Moth: 1,550 traps
Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer: 174 traps
In 2023/24, FFA produced:
About 65 million sterile Mediterranean fruit flies per week (summer program)
About 30 million sterile flies per week (winter program)
FFA coordinated 42 statutory aerial baiting applications, covering more than 176,000 hectares of commercial orchards and vineyards.
For more information:
Ghian du Toit
HortGro
Tel: +27 21 870 2900
Email: [email protected]
www.hortgro.co.za