Uganda: Updated Technical Brochure on false codling moth

COLEACP has just updated its Technical Brochure on the management of false codling moth (FCM, Thaumatotibia leucotreta), for use in training sessions with Ugandan growers of pepper (Capsicum spp.).

The main enhancement is an updated table of plant protection products (PPPs) potentially effective against FCM that are currently registered for use in Uganda (2021). The information includes the active ingredients and concentrations, the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) mode of action classification, the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, and the EU maximum residue level (MRL) for Capsicum.

FCM larvae attack more than 70 different host plants. The pest is a particular problem on Capsicum because female moths lay eggs inside the developing fruit. Detection within a consignment of peppers destined for export of a single living individual of FCM, at any stage of development, would lead to rejection of the whole consignment.

The European Commission includes FCM on its list of harmful organisms recommended for regulation as quarantine pests, to prevent its introduction into Europe. New European Union phytosanitary regulations stipulate certain conditions that exporting countries must meet before exports of Capsicum are allowed.

The brochure includes information on how to monitor FCM, and the control measures that can be taken on pepper crops. The importance of stakeholder engagement between growers, exporters and National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs) is highlighted, including effective dialogue and concerted action between public and private sectors in the formulation of national action plans. The brochure for Uganda sits alongside COLEACP’s technical publications on FCM for pepper growers in Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Rwanda.

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