Identification of critical control points for fruit fly infestation in the export supply chain of Salacca zalacca cv. 'Pondoh'

Fruit fly infestation ( Bactrocera spp .) remains a major phytosanitary challenge in tropical fruit exports. This study assessed observable fruit fly infestation incidence along the export-oriented supply chain of Salacca zalacca var. pondoh using a process-oriented approach integrating SCOR-based material flow mapping, descriptive critical control point (CCP) identification, and latent infestation observation. Fruit samples were collected at the farm level, farmer group aggregation (Sortation I), and packing house handling (Sortation II), and stored under ambient conditions for 14 days to allow infestation expression. Infestation incidence differed across supply-chain stages, with the highest occurrence observed at the farmer group level, lower incidence at the farm level, and no infestation detected in packing house samples under the applied observation protocol. These findings indicate that infestation expression varied by handling stage and highlight aggregation points as priority stages for postharvest pest risk management in export-oriented salak supply chains.