Harare — Government has with immediate effect suspended the importation of fruits from Mozambique following detection of fruit flies in that country.

Zimbabwe normally buys bananas, mangoes, pawpaws, guavas, pineapples, litchies, tomatoes and strawberries from Mozambique.

However, two types of fruit flies -- bactrocera invadens and ceratitis rosa --were detected, prompting the temporary ban.

This is in accordance with the Plant Pest and Disease Act (Chapter 19:08).

Head of the Plant Protection Research Institute, Dr Godfrey Chikwenhere, said the suspension of the fruit imports was effected to allow the Plant Quarantine Services and Plant Protection Institutes of Zimbabwe and Mozambique to get on top of the situation.

"This will enable the early detection of bactrocera invadens, which is a highly invasive species that poses substantial destruction on the wide host range," Dr Chikwenhere said.

The Zimbabwean team left for Mozambique yesterday.

The two fly species are 2mm to 3mm in size and have recently attacked bananas in Kenya and Mozambique.

Bactrocera invadens was first seen in Kenya in February 2003 and was later detected in Mozambique in 2007.

"This makes Zimbabwe a potential risk area of invasion due to its proximity to the neighbouring host countries.

"The fruit flies can be disseminated by flying adults and trading of infested fruits," read a statement from the Plant Quarantine Services' research division.

Zimbabwe has been carrying out surveillance of fruit flies limited to border entry points using pheromone traps and visual and laboratory diagnosis of imported fruits.

An effective control technique is to wrap fruit in a newspaper, a paper bag, or in the case of long thin fruits, a polythene sleeve but this must be done well before the fruit is attacked.

Infected fruit on the ground will act as a reservoir for re-infection.