Conversion of a Fruit Fly Facility into a PI irradiator in Mexico

Mexico Business News reported on January 6, 2023 that the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) would be working on a project to convert the former Mediterranean Fruit Fly Facility, located in Metapa de Dominguez, Chiapas, into a food irradiation plant. This facility produced more than 500 million pupae a week for the steriile insect technique.

Francisco Delgado, Director General, the Shared Risk Trust (Firco), and Francisco Ramírez, Director General of Plant Health, the National Service of Health, Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA) said that the project will mainly support fruit producers from the southeast. “Having an irradiation treatment plant will create new jobs, reduce the transfer time of the product from harvest to shelf and ensure that phytosanitary risks are adequately mitigated,” said Ramírez.

More information can be found on the website of the Government of Mexico: Trabaja Agricultura en ampliar exportación de frutas seguras del sur sureste de México | Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural | Gobierno | gob.mx (www.gob.mx)