Mexican mango growers in part of the state of Chiapas are to benefit from the country improving the area's phytosanitary status. 

The Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (SAGARPA) declared the southeast region in the state's municipality of Tonalá to have a low prevalence of the Anastrepha fruit fly species.

Chiapas sits in southern central Mexico on the border with Guatemala, and the new ruling is expected to benefit some 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) of mango farms.

The farms have a collective annual production of 49,000 metric tons (MT) and an estimated commercial of 97 million pesos (US$5.7 million).

SAGARPA sent technicians from the National Service for Health, Food Safety and Agricultural Food Quality (SENASICA) to carry out sampling in certain geographical areas, and a low prevalence of fruit fly in the part of Chiapas was noted.

Grower associations have been working in conjunction with regional governments and the federal government on the National Fruit Fly Campaign, whose objective is to establish areas of low fruit fly prevalence and thereby boost Mexican producers' competitiveness.

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