Mango fruit fly: West African origins under the EU’s magnifying glass

The recurrent high number of interceptions of mango batches originating from West Africa on the European Union border has led to the EU’s plant protection services to step up its monitoring. Côte d'Ivoire is scheduled to receive an EU audit mission in late April/early May, in its production and packing zones. This will examine the management actions implemented to combat the parasite pressure on mango orchards. The conclusions of this audit could lead to the suspension of exports to the European market. Neighbouring countries (Mali and Burkina Faso) are also undergoing heightened monitoring from the EU. The scourge represented by the spread of the fruit fly right across West Africa is a factor that could eventually compromise these country’s mango industries. The possible blockage of exports from these supplier countries would be economically damaging, given their magnitude. It would also aid competing origins such as Peru to establish themselves.