Mexico avocado pest-free zones certification, Digi Mart USA News: Mexico’s Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (AGRICULTURA) is operating a National Campaign against Avocado Pests in 15 states to protect national avocado production, which totals nearly 3 million tons annually.
According to the Secretariat, the strategy has certified 243,926 hectares, or 93% of the cultivated avocado area in Mexico, as zones free of seed and branch borers. The measure directly benefits more than 94,000 small and medium-scale producers.
With support from the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica), the federal Secretariat has certified 103 municipalities and 12 agroecological zones as free of the avocado branch borer (Macrocopturus aguacatae), the small avocado seed borers (Conotrachelus perseae and C. aguacatae), the large avocado seed borer (Heilipus lauri) and the seed borer moth (Stenoma catenifer).
The larvae of these pests feed on avocado seeds and tree branches, reducing orchard yields. Without proper phytosanitary management, damage could cause losses of up to 90% of production.
Establishing pest-free zones can reduce production costs for managing regulated pests, improve avocado prices, and help maintain and expand markets.
To qualify for pest-free recognition, municipalities and agroecological zones must comply with amendments to Mexican Official Standards NOM-069-FITO-1995 and NOM-066-FITO-1995, which regulate protected phytosanitary areas and the handling and movement of avocados in the country.
These procedures require a viable work plan to sustain the pest-free zone, supported by fruit sampling in the proposed area and records from Internal Verification Points (PVI) that protect the region against possible pest entry.
The declaration is valid for 24 months, during which producers must maintain the required phytosanitary measures to retain pest-free status.
Through these measures, the Secretariat of Agriculture, headed by Columba Jazmín López Gutiérrez, reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding the livelihoods of national producers and maintaining confidence in the health of Mexican avocados in domestic and international markets.
