Ministry of Agriculture announces ban for elimination of whitefly host crops

The ban will begin in the southern region on July 1 and will end on September 30.

Azua, DR
The Ministry of Agriculture held a meeting with hundreds of producers, technicians of the agricultural sector, and representatives of tomato processing agro-industries to formalize Resolution No.2018-45, which orders a ban on whitefly host crops (Bemisia tabaci Genn) and Trips.

The Vice Minister of Agricultural Production and Marketing led the activity on behalf of his superior, Minister Limber Cruz. At the meeting, the official informed that the ban will begin in the southern region on July 1 and will end on September 30.

According to Ramirez, the ordinance establishes that the ban applies to industrial tomato crops, eggplant, beans, melon, watermelon, cucumber, molondrón, peppers, pumpkin, cotton, tobacco, musú/luffa, squash, bitter gourd/melon, and zucchini.

He also guaranteed that the Government would take all the pertinent measures to enforce this resolution, considering that the effective application of the ban “is the lifeline to maintain stable production throughout the region.”

“We thank, on behalf of Minister Límber Cruz, the disposition of Agroindustrias Linda, Famosa and Victorina, who always work punctually with the official authorities to keep food production high, and, for their disposition so that the norms are complied with” The official pointed out.

The activity was also attended by the governor Ángela Grey Pérez; Juan Clase, deputy director of the Plant Health Department and Luis Zoquier, representative of the Regional IPM Council and Afconagro, an entity that groups the companies Linda, La Famosa, and Victorina.

The Vice Minister informed that the Ministry of Agriculture, through all the regional directorates, will support producers in planting crops that are not hosts to whitefly and thrips, to continue supporting food production.

While the provincial governor Angela Grey Perez Diaz offered all the support to the Ministry of Agriculture for the implementation of the ban and urged farmers to respect this period of time “to produce with high yield and quality and not be affected by the invasion of pests such as whitefly and other viruses.”

Luis Zoquier spoke on behalf of Afconagro, who highlighted the unconditional support to the tomato sector provided by the Minister of Agriculture, engineer Limber Cruz.”

About the ban

The ban is a period in which it is not allowed to plant host crops of whitefly, viruses, and other pests in traditional areas of contamination of these items, which manages to break the life cycle of the whitefly, transmitter of viral diseases, and lowers virulent populations.

The ban’s implementation is reinforced by crop elimination operations during the period from July to September in the South and Southwest regions of the country.