SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CMC) – The United States has lifted a ban on the importation of various vegetables and citrus fruits from the Dominican Republic.

On Monday, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Department of Agriculture said the lifting of the ban affects 23 of the 30 Dominican provinces, which does not include the country’s eastern districts, where the presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, which attacks vegetables and tropical fruits, was detected last year.

The ban was imposed by the United States in April 2015, resulting in losses of millions of dollars to Dominican producers, officials said.

As of Monday, all Dominican peppers and avocados, papayas and citrus fruits may enter the US market.

The Ministry of Agriculture recalled that the ban imposed by the United States did not include Hass avocados or green tomatoes produced in the country, which are resistant to attacks by the Mediterranean fruit fly.

The Ministry of Agriculture here said US officials thanked the country for the continuing reports supplied to them since the Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak in the east of the country started.

“We applaud the efforts of the Dominican Government in the surveillance and eradication programme, as well as on the release of sterile insects in the areas with outbreaks with the goal of finally eradicating the insect from the territory of the Dominican Republic,” said Michael Guidicipietro, assistant manager of the General Management Administrator of Phytosanitary Issues at the APHIS.

The Dominican Minister of Agriculture, Ángel Estévez, expressed his gratitude for the lifting of the ban and said the Dominican Republic will keep the protocols and safety systems to prevent future outbreaks.