Côte d’Ivoire : new plant protection product for mango fruit flies

Fruit flies remain a major challenge for West African mango exports to the EU. For species classified as ‘union quarantine pests’, fruits containing larva cannot enter the EU, and infested consignments will be rejected by the European phytosanitary services. The problem facing producers is compounded by the limited range of products authorised for their control.

In a step towards overcoming this challenge, a new plant protection product has recently been registered in Côte d’Ivoire and will be available to producers for the 2023 mango season. The new product, Bb-Protec (Beauveria bassiana), is a pre-harvest treatment to be used in orchards and is compatible with organic production (producers should confirm this with the destination market).

The fast-track registration of Bb-Protec was granted by local authorities thanks to the quality of the successful field trials and associated reports generated with the support of COLEAD’s Fit For Market SPS programme in 2021.

This activity is supported by the Fit For Market SPS programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union.