The State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) reported the presence in Costa Rica of the giant African snail (Achatina fulica), one of the greatest threats to agriculture and the environment. The executive president of the SFE, Fernando Araya, indicated that the detection of the plague was thanks to phytosanitary surveillance and citizen action.
He specified that this species appeared and is contained in Curubandé, at Liberia, capital of the Guanacaste province (northwest of the country), where they work with neighbors, who collaborate with the phytosanitary authorities, which allowed constant surveillance and capture.
After its identification by national specialists, the SFE, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, notified the International Plant Protection Convention about the presence of this new pest in the country, which confirmed an international authority from a third nation.
The SFE maintains that the giant African snail can adapt to a wide range of environments and is one of the greatest threats to agriculture and the environment, for which they apply phytosanitary measures for the eradication of the pest, located and contained in an area where there are no commercial agricultural crop plantations.
Actions being taken
In a press release published on its Facebook profile, that entity explains that the actions include visual inspection at the current detection points, collection of snails in the area under surveillance and application of molluscicide. Likewise, it continues to collect and remove stubble and host objects; they set traps and monitor the area.
Araya affirmed that they will continue with this work to increasingly reduce the presence of the mollusk and will intensify measures for eradication, with the support of international organizations specialized in the process of control and eradication of pests.
