Embassy Events

SENASAG Launches National Program to Control Fruit Flies

Program to be executed in important potential fruit production zones

The National Service of Food Health and Safety of Bolivia (SENASAG), in coordination with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is launching the National Fruit Fly Control Program. The program seeks to reduce losses and improve low quality of cultivated fruit crops in the departments of Santa Cruz, Pando, Beni, La Paz, Potosí, Chuquisaca, and Tarija.

SENASAG’s main goal is the reduction of the fruit fly population in several zones of the
country, thus obtaining better quality fruit for exporting. According to data collected by SIDESA, the loss of fruit production due to pests in Bolivia is estimated at $113 million annually.

The Program, to be implemented throughout Bolivia in fruit-producing regions of the altiplano, valleys, tropics, and Chaco, will benefit the production of papaya, mango, peach, citrus fruit, fava bean, chili pepper, and other crops. This effort will be carried out in coordination with the farming productive chains promoted by the Government of Bolivia’s Productivity and Competitiveness System.