Shanghai oranges declared pest-free

By Xu Fang and Lu Feiran  |   2008-10-31  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

AUTHORITIES in Shanghai yesterday said the oranges in local markets are absolutely safe. They confirmed, however, that fly-pest rumors have affected business for orange growers.

Forestry authorities sent pest experts to spot-check 36 orange sites covering 308 hectares in Chongming, Chang°?xing and Hengsha islands on Wednesday. Experts found no worms in any oranges.

"We've known about the orange fly pest for a long time, and no fly pest disaster has ever appeared in Shanghai," said Wang Yan, deputy director of the Shanghai Forestry Disease and Pest Prevention Office.

Wang said that even if a tainted orange is brought into the city from another province it needs a long time to affect an orange plant. Additionally, worms don't thrive in the winter as they need a relatively warm environment.

Wang also said the flies will only affect the plants themselves, not humans.

"They will make the affected oranges inedible but will not poison people," she said.

Chongming orange growers, however, are feeling the pinch with only 5 percent of their harvest sold so far this year, compared to 50 percent for the same period last year.

The Chongming County Agricultural Commission said the sluggish sales were caused by the pest being found in Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, which had put people off eating oranges.

White worms were found in Guangyuan in late last month. The pest caused a panic throughout the country. Sales in Hubei and Jiangxi provinces and Chongqing and Beijing municipalities have also declined, according to the People's Daily.

Local fruit industry experts said the global economic downturn was also having an impact on sales.

"The whole fruit industry has been affected," said Yuan Yaxiang, from the Shanghai Fruit Association. "People tend to spend less on fruit (during a downturn) since fruit isn't a necessity in life."