KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC—The Jamaican government is seeking to use the sterile insect technique (SIT) to reduce the fruit fly population.
The technique involves the mass production and release of sterilized male insects into the wild. They mate with wild females but produce no offspring, thereby reducing the overall population over time.
Agriculture Minister Floyd Green, speaking at the opening of the 11th Tephritid Workers of the Western Hemisphere (TWWH) meeting, said, “We have seen this technique being deployed successfully all over the world, and we believe it has tremendous potential to address the issue we have here in the Americas and some of our other regions.”
Green said the Ministry also looks into genetic technologies, such as gene editing and ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference.
This approach offers new avenues for targeted and environmentally friendly pest control, as it targets critical genes involved in fruit fly development and reproduction.
This method allows scientists to develop novel strategies to disrupt their lifecycle without harming beneficial insects or the environment.
“If we are to combat fruit flies, we cannot just take the traditional methods, and it requires integration of innovation, cutting edge technologies, and our willingness to embrace new ideas and to harness the power of collaboration and technology to develop sustainable solutions,” Green said.
He said one of the measures in place is the systems approach, which involves a holistic and integrated strategy for pest management that considers the entire ecosystem and employs a combination of cultural, biological, and chemical control measures.
Green said that the Ministry has already implemented several other fruit fly mitigation measures through the Plant Quarantine Produce Inspection (PQPI) unit and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).
This includes registering and training farmers through farmer field school sessions, training and enhancing the Ministry’s surveillance teams and implementing monitoring traps for fruit flies, particularly on mango farms, among other approaches.
Green said the meeting “is a priority for our Ministry, and should be for all stakeholders, as it is a significant milestone in our collective journey towards sustainable agriculture and plant health.”
The TWWH meeting, which is being held until Friday, is hosted by the Ministry through the PQPI. It seeks to find best practices for mitigating the fruit fly problem in the region.
An estimated 110 delegates from 36 countries, including the United States and from Latin America and Europe, are attending the meeting.
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