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Tangerine industry endangered by fly rumour

By Ji Shaoting, Miao Xiaojuan and Wang Cong (Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-01 16:12

Sympathy has been given by some people to the farmers.

"It's farmers' blood and sweat, and buying their daily necessities largely depends on the income from tangerine sales," said a netizen from southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

"I think most tangerines are still good and safe. We just need to look it over before eating," he said.

Science articles began to appear on the Internet to explain the flies and to persuade the audience to accept the fruit again.

An expert named Wan Fanghao, botanist of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the snow disaster, which killed the natural enemies of the flies, such as insects and birds, might be the reason for the new boom.

"The flies are of an ordinary type in China and other Asian countries, and they came every year, some times more sometimes less," wan said.

More trust was called on by Wan for the various breeds of tangerines in China.

A science writer named Liu Yang wrote in her article "Flies in Tangerines" that "the fruit flies do no harm to man and it is simply a psychological thing."

"Many of my friends were freaked out but they had to say it was only a little bit disgusting but not harmful," said the 26-year-old biology major, who identified herself as "Tangerine" because it is her favorite fruit.

"I hope we will soon be seen as people started to see the incident from scientific perspectives," she said.

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