Ministry: No sign of fruit flies in other islands

Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has said that fruit flies, known to cause serious damage to fruit and vegetable crops, have not been found in any island other than Feevah in Shaviyani atoll.

Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture Mohamed Shareef said that expert teams have been deployed to Lhaviyani, Haa Dhaalu, and Faafu atolls, to determine whether there is an imminent threat in these regions.

He said that an alert has been issued across the country, and farmers have been asked to inform the ministry if the insect is discovered in their crops.

Equipment necessary to control the epidemic in Feevah will arrive in two days, said Shareef.

He added that while the insect can destroy crops - as it has done in Feevah - they do not affect humans.

The ministry earlier attended to reports that the flies had been found in rotten mangoes at the local market in Malé.

Shareef said that there was no sign of the pest at the local market.

Fruit flies are common in many countries and are can destroy up to 90 percent of fruits and vegetables on infected trees.

It can attack trees such as mango, water apple, papaya, guava, chilli, lime, tomato, capsicum, bread fruit, and cucumber.

The ministry has said that the fly can have devastating effect on the local agriculture industry, and cannot be eradicated.