Map declares quarantine for the state of Amazonas to contain cocoa moniliasis

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) published this Tuesday (22/11) the Ordinance No. 703 in which it declares the municipalities of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mâncio Lima, Rodrigues Alves, Marechal Thaumaturgo and Porto Walter in the state of Acre and the entire state of Amazonas, as an area under quarantine for the absent quarantine pest Moniliophthora roreri, which causes the disease known as Cocoa Moniliasis.

The declaration implies the prohibition of the transit of plant materials (fruits, plants) that host the pest (species of the genus Theobroma e Herrania) for the other units of the Federation.  

This is a precautionary measure, which aims to provide the necessary legal support for inspection actions on the transit of vegetables, carried out by state Agricultural Defense agencies, with the aim of preventing the spread of the pest to areas that are still unharmed (where there is no presence of the pest). disease) of the country, mainly for the cocoa and cupuaçu producing regions. 

“Until then, the quarantine area only covered the municipality of Guajará (AM), located on the border with the state of Acre, due to the occurrence of the first outbreak of the plague confirmed in the country, detected in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul (AC) in 2021. Now, with the new focus, the entire state of Amazonas is under the quarantine area”, explains the general coordinator of Plant Protection at Mapa, Graciane de Castro. 

The status of "area under quarantine" for the entire state will remain in force until the work to delimit the exact area where the pest occurs is completed and the planned measures for preventing and eradicating the pest provided for in the National Plan for Prevention and Surveillance of the pest are structured. Moniliophthora roreri.

New focus on Amazonas

A new focus of the Cocoa Moniliasis disease was detected in the municipality of Tabatinga, in the state of Amazonas, in the triple border region between Brazil, Colombia and Peru. This time, the case was detected in rural riverside communities. 

Moniliasis is a devastating disease 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.

This is a disease that affects only the host plants of the fungus, without risk to human health.

Mapa warns that due to the potential for damage, it is essential to immediately notify the local phytosanitary authorities of any suspected occurrence of the pest in other regions of the country.