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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), after sustained growth, global production of tropical fruits has shown a slight decrease in 2017, due to adverse environmental conditions. The total production of major tropical fruits was estimated at 92.2 million tonnes in 2017. This translates to a growth of 1.9% from 2016 compared to 3.6% in the last 10 years. However, it was recorded that in spite of the estimated lower production in 2017, producing countries have been increasing their areas of production in response to the increasing demand for tropical fruits. It is anticipated that growth would be positive in the coming years with continued and increasing demand for the commodity, which is also beginning to attain a significant share in the global agricultural trade. This has concurrently opened up new market opportunities and transformed the preferences of consumers for healthier, safer and fresher produce.
Like other horticultural crops, the incidences of pests and diseases are among the main factors that can impact sustainable tropical fruit production. Globalization, trade liberalization, and expansion of the tourism industry create wide opportunities for networking and market growth. Paradoxically, these also create pathways for broader dispersion of pests and diseases from their geographical origins. Pests and diseases not only destroy total crop areas, but also reduce yields, affect quality and lower the market potential of tropical fruits and its products.
Harmonizing efforts at all levels as well as integrated approaches are necessary to curtail and mitigate the destructive effects of pests and diseases. Strict quarantine and regulatory measures should also be enforced at various entry points of countries to prevent introduction of new pests, diseases and further invasion. At farm level, smallholder farmers and growers should be trained to adopt good agricultural practices (GAP), integrated pests and diseases management, judicious use of chemicals and have a system of monitoring and surveillance. Research and development efforts have to be intensified and prioritized by national research institutes to find effective responses and management approaches. Public awareness and knowledge on the use of biological control methods and biotechnology tools for integrated pest management (IPM) also need to be promoted to assist in decision-making for the adoption of effective methods in the management of pests and diseases.
Cognizant of the above mentioned needs and challenges, the International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) through the support from the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and partners Universiti Malaysia Sabah, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), the Department of Agriculture Sabah, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), is organizing the International Conference on Tropical Fruit Pests and Diseases (TROPED 2018) to disseminate the existing expert knowledge on the mitigation and prevention of prevailing pests and diseases afflicting tropical fruits. |
