Fruit fly infestation rates are falling in Ghana, according to orchard owners monitored by the Projet d'appui au plan régional de lutte et de contrôle des Mouches des Fruits (PLMF). The orchard owners, who say they are satisfied with the trials that have led to these results, nevertheless deplore the emergence of Bacteria Black Spot (BBS), which can cause major losses in orchards (nearly 70%), and the damaging influence of neighbouring orchards that are not treated.
Dr Mame Farma Ndiaye Cissé, in charge of the project's research component at CORAF, who recently carried out a mission to Benin and Ghana, maintains in her report that "program activities are progressing normally thanks to the support of the project's technical committee". However, she says, "the funds allocated to the Ghanaian side are currently exhausted, and the DG has said he is ready to pre-finance with the agreement of the coordination, so that field activities are not blocked".
In Ghana, the person in charge of the PLMF research component at CORAF handed over some of the equipment acquired by CORAF for the country.
She also visited partner laboratories, including the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate - PPRSD, University of Ghana, Africa Regional Postgraduate Program on Insect Sciences-ARPPIS.
In the latter establishment (ARPRIS), the guided tour was led by two Master's students, one of whom has just defended his dissertation on fruit fly detection techniques based on local products.
In addition to laboratory visits, field visits were made to two orchards in the Somanya agricultural zone in the eastern region of Ghana and to Dodowa, where trials were carried out.
In Benin, some of the equipment purchased by CORAF was handed over.
As regards the progress of project activities in this country, around 70% of the activities planned for this year have been carried out, and field activities are underway.
In both Benin and Ghana, visits to experimental plots enabled us to see for ourselves the fruit fly population monitoring system set up jointly with the national committee, and to discuss with growers and national committee managers the areas for collaboration, particularly at trial level, to facilitate the transfer of technologies generated by the research component.
The mission to Benin was also an opportunity for the research officer to meet the presidents of the two platforms (Parakou and Atacora) set up since the dissemination-PPAAO project.
According to the mission report, the presidents of these two platforms are satisfied with the actions carried out by the project, which have kept the fly population at a very low level. They feel that the fly problem has been solved, although a solution still needs to be found to the nagging question of how to market the produce.
About PLMF
The project to support the Regional Plan for Fruit Fly Control in West Africa (PLMF) officially began on August 18, 2014 for a 5-year implementation period (August 19, 2019). It is currently being implemented in 10 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. The applied research component effectively started in July 2015, with the first transfer of funds to the countries.