Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
In December 2023, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Agriculture detected the Mediterranean fruit fly near Punta Cana, triggering the activation of an emergency response protocol to contain the outbreak. Thanks to the Ministry’s surveillance network, the pest was detected early and declared transient, which confined the affected area to less than 50 km² — a significant improvement compared to the 2015 outbreak that affected over 2000 km².
In February 2024, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) composed of IAEA, FAO, and OIRSA experts visited the area to provide guidance on tailored eradication strategies and offer technical recommendations. The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) implemented a contingency plan that included:
- Weekly releases of 3 million sterile flies for 26 weeks
- Field surveillance and control measures, such as insecticide-bait sprays and bait stations
- Continuous technical support from international experts
The eradication of the pest was officially declared on 27 September 2024, less than 10 months after the initial detection, with no quarantine restrictions imposed by importing countries.
“The success of this project in the Dominican Republic shows how close international cooperation can protect farmers from insect pests that can have a devastating impact on harvests and a country’s agricultural production and trade,” said Rui Cardoso Pereira, Section Head of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture in Vienna, Austria.