A focus on Morocco's sterile insect technique initiative

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a serious threat to Morocco’s Citrus industry, which is a vital sector of the national agricultural economy. As a result, the Medfly has reduced citrus exports, increased production costs, and its control with insecticides had an impact on the environment. To overcome those problems, the sterile insect technique (SIT) has emerged as an economical and environmentally acceptable biological control tool to address this issue. With technical and financial assistance provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture through the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA), and Maroc-Citrus, Morocco has set up a mass-rearing facility near Agadir city to manage Medflies in the Souss Valley. The cost of the facility’s construction reached more than six million US dollars. The objective is intended to produce and release 130 million sterile males weekly, to cover 105,000 hectares of citrus in Morocco. It is anticipated that the implementation of SIT will significantly reduce pest damage and contribute to the resilience of the Moroccan citrus industry.