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The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) published this Wednesday (03/08) the Ordinance No. 467 extending, for one year, the validity period of the phytosanitary emergency relating to the imminent risk of introduction of the absent quarantine pest Moniliophthora roreri (Cocoa Moniliasis) in the states of Acre, Amazonas and Rondônia.
The state of phytosanitary emergency for Moniliophthora roreri has been in force since August 4, 2021. The extension aims to reinforce prevention measures and prevent the spread of the pest to cocoa and cupuaçu growing areas. The states of Amazonas and Rondônia were included in the declaration because they are the federation units that border Acre.
“Although the outbreaks have been controlled, the fungus Moniliophthora roreri produces spores that can remain viable for months in old fruits and even on the surface of leaves, in addition, its ability to disperse by wind added to the large number of host plants throughout the area indicates a high risk of new outbreaks emerging”, explains the head of the Pest Prevention and Surveillance Division, Juliana Alexandre.
The Ordinance also established the guidelines for preparing the State Emergency Plan for the Prevention, Suppression and Eradication of the plague by the three states. The PEE-Moniliasis must be prepared by the State Body for Plant Health Defense in conjunction with the Federal Superintendency of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (SFA).
The objective of the Ministry of Agriculture is to eradicate the pest as quickly as possible, while it is still in a restricted area of the country.
In July 2021, an outbreak of the pest was detected in an urban residential area in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, in the interior of Acre. Confirmation of the pest in Brazil was obtained through laboratory analysis, carried out by the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory of Goiânia (LFDA/GO).
Moniliasis is one of the devastating diseases that affects plants of the genus Theobroma, such as cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), causing losses in production and an increase in costs due to the need for additional management measures and application of fungicides to control the pest.
The disease only affects host plants of the fungus, without any risk of harm to human health. In South America, the plague is already present in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru.
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