The 90-day closed season on pineapple crops in the northern part of the country ended on October 25, while farmers report that the ban was not respected and that the stable fly (mosca del establo) plague persists.
An article on Nacion.com reports that in June and July of this year the SENASA issued bans ” … through means of decrees on the demolition of pineapple plants, in both cases for 90 days. This prohibition prevented the re-planting or planting of farms in affected areas. The first prohibition was published in La Gaceta on June 1 and affected the Cutris District in the Canton of San Carlos de Alajuela and the town of San Rafael de Río Cuarto de Alajuela and its validity has already expired.
The second decree came out in another issue of La Gaceta on July 24 of this year and will run until October 24, according to the Senasa. This affected the district of Pital del Cantón de San Carlos de Alajuela, which includes, among others, the towns of Los Angeles, Boca Sahino, Boca Tapada, Boca Tres Amigos, Cabra, Canacas, Caño Chu, Cerro Blanco (San Marcos), Cuatro Esquinas, Chaparrón, Chirivico (Coopeisabel), Encanto, Fama (Carmen), Flor, I Greiga, Josefina, Legua, Ojoche, Ojochito, Palmar, Piedra Alegre, Puerto Escondido, Quebrada Grande, Sahino, San Luis, Santa Elena, Tigre, Trinchera, Vegas, Veracruz, Lapuel (partial), Vuelta Tablón and Yucatan. ”
” … this ban caused delays in the crop cycle of this fruit and will generate estimated losses of 9.5 million 12 kg boxes for the 2018 harvest, which represents about US$52 million,” said Abel Chaves, president of National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapple (Canapep), at the time of establishing the second ban.”
According to Alvaro Álvarez, president of the Pital’s Livestock Commission, “pineapple growers, especially the big ones, did not comply with the MAG’s orders and, therefore, the population of the fly remains very high”.
