Guyana’s National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), are presently conducting a 10-day workshop for the control and eradication of the Carambola Fruit Fly (CFF) in Guyana.
The workshop commenced in Brazil yesterday and will conclude next week on Thursday.
The workshop forms part of a Cooperation Agreement that was signed by the Governments of Guyana and Brazil and will see the training of 24 Quarantine, Extension and Community Development Officers of Lethem, Region Nine.
The training is being facilitated by Brazilian experts in the areas of pest identification, detection, control, and public awareness. The training is expected to equip Guyanese participants with the knowledge to effectively implement measures independently or jointly with the Brazilian Carambola Fruit Fly Technicians along the Guyana/ Brazil border and in nearby communities.
A similar training programme will be executed in Georgetown, next year.
Together with the training, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the ABC Funding Agency has donated a quantity of Fruit Fly trapping and control materials to NAREI to aid in the fight against this pest.
Because the adult fruit fly lives for a few weeks, it rabidly reproduces. The adult female fruit flies lay eggs in the flesh of ripening and ripe fruits and vegetables. Once the eggs are hatched, the larvae begin to feed within the fruit. This causes the fruit to prematurely ripen, rot and drop to the ground.
