In order to boost the competitiveness of Jalisco's producers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development declared the municipalities of Ahualulco de Mercado and San Juanito de Escobedo as a zone free of regulated avocado pests.
The agreement, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF, by its Spanish acronym), states that technicians from the National Service for Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica, by its Spanish acronym), confirmed the absence of the large pit borer (Heilipus lauri), small pit borer (Conotrachelus aguacatea and C. perseae) and the pit borer moth (Stenoma catenifer) in both municipalities.
These pests cause damage to the fruit, as the larvae feed on the pulp and pit, which can cause up to 90 percent losses to avocado growers, and the record of their presence imposes restrictions to mobilize regional production to other parts of the country for marketing in domestic and international markets.
Plant health specialists carried out sampling and confirmed that the avocado-growing regions comply with the phytosanitary provisions of official standards NOM-069-FITO-1995, which deals with the establishment and recognition of pest-free zones, and NOM-066-FITO-1995, which deals with the phytosanitary management and movement of avocados.
The agreement, signed by the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula, is valid for 24 months, during which time producers must continue to apply phytosanitary measures in order to prevent the region from losing its status as a zone free of these pests, as established in Article 107 of the Regulations of the Federal Plant Health Law.
It is important to note that Jalisco is recognized as the state with the second largest avocado production in the country, with more than 256 thousand tons per year, equivalent to 11 percent of national production.