When Laos Fresh Farm’s Vang Thao arrived at Harvest Market on Saturday morning, it was without any chillies and tomatoes.
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Her small farm is in the Devonport fruit fly control zone, although the area has nearly doubled in the past week to cover George Town.
That meant she could not move any fruit or vegetables considered host produce outside of the control zone.
Biosecurity Tasmania officers were out in Northern Tasmania on Saturday, inspecting fruit fly host produce and providing information to growers and the community.
Ms Thao said she was lucky to have a variety of vegetables that were able to be sold when she could no longer sell her chillies and tomatoes.
The fruit fly incursion cut the summer produce season short for a lot of producers, she said.
“We hope that the fruit fly will be controlled soon.”
The Exeter Show and Launceston’s Harvest Market both received extended visits as part of a Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment public awareness push.
A DPIPWE spokesman confirmed the control area, which was extended across the Tamar River mouth on Tuesday, had not been changed.
No further fruit flies or larvae have been detected, he said. The response from the public and industry had been fantastic, and people were encouraged to be vigilant, he said.
Harvest Market manager Caroline Williamson said organisers have been working with Biosecurity Tasmania to monitor and educate growers about fruit fly.
“We’re probably only got five to six producers in the control zone,” Ms Williamson said.
While the growers who were unable to sell the produce were having a “terrible time”, they were willing to cooperate to eradicate fruit fly, she said.
Exeter Show home industries coordinator Sharon Hjort said fruit fly stopped some people from entering their produce, but it hadn’t had a huge impact on the show.