A low-cost pest control project that lures and baits fruit flies is helping Indian mango growers fight back against the ravaging insects.

While the Rainbow fruit fly trap is a modest contraption using little technology, it’s being hailed as an effective and efficient weapon for producers.

Developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research and Imperial College London, the trap could save the mango sector millions.

It’s especially geared towards India’s smallholder mango farmers who represent a significant proportion of the country’s 2.5 million hectares currently under cultivation.

The simple lure and bait trap kills the fruit fly with insecticide and negates the need for growers to spray entire crops with potentially dangerous and expensive chemicals.

In the past growers have also tried to cover crops with plastic bags as a low-cost solution, but this had minimal success.

"Fruit flies lay their eggs on the surface of the fruit, then the maggots develop inside and once infested, they can only be sold to the processing market," says John Mumford, a natural resource management professor at Imperial College.

Farmers want to keep mangoes on the tree for longer in order to get the maximum price for the whole fruit, rather than a lower quality fruit that can only be sold cut-price to the processing market.

"It’s very low tech, but well conceived, well delivered and the effect has been remarkable," Mumford said.

"Farmers are around $6,000 to $7,000 per hectare better off and there are tens of thousands, and potentially hundreds of thousands, doing it.

"By maximizing the value of their mangoes, farmers can buy essentials and send their kids to school. It makes mango production attractive enough for the next generations, so they don’t have to move to the city to work in a factory."

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