Uige — At least 40 percent of the orange production in the municipality of Bembe, northern Uige province, may be reduced from 1,000 to 600 tons due to a pest affecting the fruit in the area, the municipal director of Agriculture and Forestry, Manuel Suamino said Wednesday.

The municipality of Bembe, the largest orange producer in the region, produces between 1,000 and 700 tons of this fruit per year.

The area has more than 1,000 producers dedicated to orange production in the municipal seat and in the commune of Quimaria.

Manuel Suamino said the plague is affecting about 40 percent of the oranges produced in the municipality and that due to the pest, production levels are falling considerably compared to previous years.

He expressed concern about the situation, since the plague could compromise the harvest of this crop and requested support from the Agronomic Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

"We asked the government, through the Agronomic Research Institute, to help us investigate this pest, to maintain the yield of orange production in the municipality," he said.

He clarified that the municipality's Agriculture and Forestry sector is trying measures to reverse the current situation, with the introduction of innovative seedlings to combat the pest, however, it has not been enough.

The official said that a group of technicians from the Agronomic Research Institute is expected at Bembe municipality to assess the situation and to implement other solutions. NM/JAR/AMP