Perception of fruit farmers on the occurrence of the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its associated economic impact in Manica province, Mozambique

Résumé

Introduction – Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are among the most important pests of fruits and vegetables in the world. The invasive species, Bactrocera dorsalis was detected in Niassa province in 2007, and in 2008, almost 800 km apart, it was already present in Manica province, causing damage on fruits and commercial restrictions. Therefore, there was a need to implement a program for B. dorsalis management. However, there was no baseline information regarding key features associated with the knowledge, perceptions, impact and practices of fruit producers regarding fruit fly pests and their management. Materials and methods – In February 2015, fruit farmers from Manica province were interviewed. Frequencies and analysis of variance were performed through SPSS 16.0 and STATA 12.0. Results – A total of 36 fruit farmers from six districts were interviewed and fruit flies were the main pest problem in more than 80% of mango and citrus orchards and 19.0% of the banana plantations. 53.84% of the farmers could not identify fruit fly’s species although they could describe symptoms of damage. More than 70% of the respondents indicated increasing volumes of uncommercialized fruits, since the detection of the pest. The monetary value of this loss was severe for mango producers, reaching US$ 135,784.8 in 2014/15 crop season. Medium and large-scale mango farmers control the pest while small-scale mango farmers do not, mainly because they are not aware of the fruit fly’s management strategies. Conclusion – Training on pest identification and management strategies should be conducted among small-scale farmers to increase adoption of fruit flies control strategies.