Inauguration of a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) emergence and release facility in Opuzen, Croatia
Inauguration of a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) emergence and release facility in Opuzen, Croatia. The facility allows applying the environment-friendly Sterile Insect Technique to the Neretva river valley of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to reduce insecticide use in citrus orchards and facilitate fresh fruit exports.
On 22 September 2010, in the city of Opuzen, Croatia in the Neretva river valley, a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) emergency and release facility with a capacity of 20 million sterile males / week was
inaugurated. This facility of the Croatian Centre for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has been in operation since April 2010 for the packing, handling and release of sterile Mediterranean fruit fly males over
a 1,000 ha pilot area (mainly of mandarins, Citrus reticulata) in the Neretva river valley in Croatia.
The area produces 80% of the mandarins of Croatia, from which 70% are exported (about 13 million US$ a year) to the European Union (EU). The objective of applying the environment-friendly Sterile Insect Technique, integrated with other sustainable control methods, is to suppress the Mediterranean fruit fly population to decrease fruit losses and to contribute to the reduction of pesticide residues on fruits. This aspect is extremely important to export to markets that request low fruit insecticide residues, such as the EU.
The inauguration took place in the city hall of Opuzen, Croatia, in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Affairs of Croatia, the Government of Dubrovnik-Neretva
County, the Mayor of Opuzen and Metkovic, the Croatian Centre for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Phytosanitary and Agricultural Inspection Service of Croatia, representative of growers and grower
associations in Croatia and the Institute for Plant Protection and Extension Service of Nerzegovina-Neretva District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the FAO/IAEA. that provides the support for the transfer and
implementation of the technology in the Neretva river valley.
For more information about the project visit the Croatian Centre for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website at the URL: http://www.hcphs.hr/default.aspx?id=213 (only available in Croatian).