Citrus growers ask government to avoid pests

Santo Domingo, DR
Pests are the biggest enemy of all producers, as they are responsible for damaging food. That is why the producers ask the authorities to prevent the entry of citrus fruits that bring pests into the country.

For this sector dedicated to growing pineapple, lemon, melon, and other citrus fruits, history repeats itself, since these fruits are in high demand in the country and are among those that produce more alerts because of their sensitivity to being affected by pests, which make them unfit for human consumption.

When passing through these products’ leaves, the whitefly or Mediterranean fruit fly changes from the outside to the inside; their leaves become lighter than usual and with a yellowish tone.

Roberto Méndez, who is a lemon grower, said, “here there is no need to bring many citrus fruits that are produced here, people complain about the prices, here the ones that go up are usually those that are brought from outside, regarding pests the first thing is that everyone uses different methods, some organic and other chemicals that are stronger and faster eradication.”

He said that many companies know that they send fruit with defects and wait until they reach the final destination and then claim “ignorance,” in turn, he complained that the relevant authorities “do not do their job” in the right way to stop harmful imports.

“Automatically you get a merchandise, you keep it and if it contains any mite or other insect if you do not have the necessary quality controls and supervision even yours is gone,” clarified Mendez.