Reducing Risks of an Absoluta Disaster for Tomato Producers in Southeast Asia

14 June 2024 -

The South American tomato leaf miner, Phthorimaea [Tuta] absoluta, is a very serious insect pest of tomatoes in both open fields and protected cultivation that can completely destroy a crop if left uncontrolled. Spreading rapidly eastwards across Europe, Africa, and Asia over the past 15 years, it is now on the doorstep of Southeast Asia.

Invasion into new areas follows several potential pathways. These are movements from infested areas of tomato fruit, containers, packaging, and vehicles to seedlings of tomato or other Solanaceous crops and ornamentals. Thus, implementing effective quarantine procedures during international trade is a key means to reduce the risk of spread across borders.

As Phthorimaea [Tuta] absoluta is a new insect pest in Southeast Asia, information on it was limited. Through the funding from the Government of Japan, WorldVeg initiated a project to provide key knowledge required in pest quarantine and improve regional cooperation between member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish pest surveillance at possible ports of entry where the pest has not yet been reported.

The Improved Coordination and Strengthened Capacity to Deal with the Invasive Insect Pest Tuta Absoluta in Mainland Southeast Asia project that was implemented from 2021 to 2023 was supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).