The National Service for Food Safety and Quality (Senasa) has managed to reduce the number of banana moths detected from 12% in 2003 to 4% today.
The reduction in the presence of the pest was achieved due to the increase in requirements for importing fresh bananas to Argentina and the constant monitoring of the products carried out by inspectors at the international borders through which the cargo enters.
Why does the banana matter?
The fresh banana, It is the most imported fruit to Argentina and its controls are a fundamental link to protect the phytosanitary heritage of our country. In 2017, 277 tons had to be returned to their origin due to the presence of the pest detected at border crossings with Brazil and in the first half of 2018, this figure reached 232 tons.
What is the banana moth?
The Opogona sacchari Bojer (banana moth) is a pest that attacks a range of plant species, such as bananas, pineapple, corn, sugar cane, dracaenas and Yucca. This is a Lepidoptera (butterfly) that causes serious damage to ornamental and industrial species and fruits, among which fresh banana is one of the main products affected.
The larva is the stage that causes the most damage, it has a bright red-brown head with an ocellus on each side and after hatching, it begins to make galleries in the host. In the case of the banana, you can see the attack through perforations, where there are compact excrements, joined by silk threads and similar to sawdust.
Official controls at the entry points of fresh fruit are key to protecting the country from the entry of pests that affect national production
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