Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala

What Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala does

Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala is an official government program operating under a trilateral cooperation agreement between Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States, signed in 1975 and approved by Guatemala's Congress under Decree No. 21-76 in 1976. The program is the national authority for the prevention, detection, suppression, and eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), one of the world's most destructive quarantine pests affecting citrus, deciduous fruits, coffee, and tropical fruits. It is operated under Guatemala's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) with technical collaboration from USDA-APHIS and Mexico's SENASICA-SADER.

The program's core technology is an Integrated Pest Management (MIP) strategy combining Sterile Insect Technique (TIE), trapping detection, aerial and ground spraying, bait stations, mechanical control, and legal quarantine measures. It operates the world's largest sterile Mediterranean fruit fly production plant at El Pino (Barberena, Santa Rosa), a Cold Adult Packaging Center (CEAF) in Retalhuleu, and a secondary fruit fly plant in San Miguel Petapa. Field operations are delivered through 9 regional operations centers across Petén, Franja Transversal del Norte, Noroccidente, and Suroccidente, protecting 46,823 km² of officially recognized pest-free territory. The program also runs Centro de Transferencia de Tecnología Apícola (CTTA) centers providing apiculture training and capacity building.

The business model is non-commercial: services are provided free of charge to fruit and vegetable producers, and the program is funded entirely through public government budgets from the three trilateral partners, plus technical collaboration from the IAEA and FAO. The program produces no commercial revenue, has no pricing model, and operates as a public good enabling Guatemalan fruit and vegetable exports to access international markets without quarantine restrictions. Reproducing the program requires government-to-government coordination, decades of operational know-how, and industrial-scale sterile-insect production infrastructure — making it a structurally non-replicable public asset.

Name

Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala

Legal name

Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala

Website

https://moscamed-guatemala.org.gt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala is a trilateral government program (Guatemala, Mexico, United States) that detects, controls, and eradicates the Mediterranean fruit fly, protecting 46,823 km² of pest-free agricultural territory and enabling exports from Guatemalan fruit and vegetable producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Pest Management Services

NAICS

Exterminating and Pest Control Services (561710), Exterminating and Pest Control Services (56171)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Insect Control (Crawling/Flying Insects) for Farms & Ag Facilities (AFACAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Facility Pest Management (IMAIAHAB), Pest Risk Assessments, Audits & Compliance Documentation (AFACAGAK)

Keywords

• Sterile insect technique
• Integrated pest management
• Agricultural pest control
• Fruit fly eradication
• Quarantine pest management

Headquarters

HQ city

Guatemala City

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Funding: Programa MOSCAMED is funded through public government budgets from Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States under a trilateral cooperation agreement. The program does not generate commercial revenue as it provides pest management services free of charge to agricultural producers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala is the official government program for prevention, detection, control, suppression, and eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) in Guatemala. The program implements an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy that combines detection services (trapping and fruit sampling), multiple control methods (Sterile Insect Technique via aerial release of sterile male flies, aerial and ground spraying, mechanical control, bait stations, and legal/quarantine measures), and official certification of Pest-Free Areas enabling agricultural exports. It operates the world's largest sterile Mediterranean fruit fly production plant and provides technical support for the apiculture sector.

Product overview

Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala is an official government program for the prevention, detection, suppression, and eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) in Guatemala. The program operates under a trilateral cooperation agreement between Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States, using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy. The core offerings include detection services (trapping and sampling), multiple control methods (autocidal/sterile insect technique, aerial spraying, ground spraying, bait stations, mechanical control, and legal/quarantine measures), and certification services for pest-free areas enabling agricultural exports. Key production facilities include the El Pino Sterile Fly Production Plant (the world's largest), the Cold Adult Packaging Center (CEAF), and other fruit fly production facilities. The program also operates Apicultural Technology Transfer Centers (CTTA) providing technical support to beekeepers. Educational resources include a podcast series and annual interregional training courses on sterile insect techniques conducted with IAEA and FAO collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CTTA: Centro de Transferencia de Tecnología Apícola - technology transfer center for beekeeping and honey production supporting the apiculture sector

Products and services

• Detection by Trapping (Detección por Trampeo)

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected 46,823 km² of pest-free areas
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IICA Guatemala (Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Strategic alliance for strengthening capacities of the apiculture sector, providing support for the Centro de Transferencia de Tecnología Apícola activities.
• Zamorano (Escuela Agrícola Panamericana)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Educational institution partnership for strengthening apiculture sector training and development activities.
• AGEXPORT GuatemalaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Association of Guatemalan exporters partnership for strengthening apiculture sector competitiveness and export opportunities.
• Belice Ministry of Agriculture (MAF/BAHA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 November 2021Guest participant in the trilateral program, with protocol established for supply of biological material and/or technical assistance to non-trilateral entities.
• IAEA (Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica / International Atomic Energy Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2013Technical collaboration for the Sterile Insect Technique (TIE) using nuclear technology for pest control. Organizes annual interregional courses on TIE with FAO and hosts the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
• FAO (Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2013Joint collaboration with IAEA for the Sterile Insect Technique training courses. Part of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
• USDA-APHIS (United States Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 1975Trilateral cooperation agreement partner for prevention, detection, suppression and eradication of Mediterranean fruit fly. USDA provides technical expertise, funding support, and international recognition of pest-free status.
• SENASICA-SADER (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria - Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 1975Trilateral cooperation partner under the agreement signed between Guatemala and Mexico. SENASICA coordinates regional pest management efforts and provides international recognition for pest-free areas.
• MAGA (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación - Guatemala)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 1975The official Guatemalan government ministry providing national coordination and funding for the program. Declared a national emergency for pest control under gubernative agreement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Koppert Biological Systems: Global leader in biological crop protection and natural pollination, supplying IPM solutions including beneficial insects, biopesticides, and monitoring systems to agricultural producers worldwide. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the integrated pest management market.
• Rentokil Initial: Global commercial pest control services giant with agricultural extension into stored-product and farm pest management. Adjacent peer in the broader exterminating and pest control services category, though operating on a commercial service-delivery model rather than government-funded SIT.
• Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture: The UN-affiliated global coordination body for SIT and related nuclear pest-control techniques. MOSCAMED's annual interregional training courses are co-organized with this center, making it the upstream institutional peer that sets global SIT standards and channels technical assistance.

Emerging players

• Bioibérica (Biocontrol division): Spanish biotechnology company developing biocontrol solutions and biopesticides for agricultural pests, with growing interest in fruit fly IPM. An emerging commercial peer in the same biocontrol and integrated pest management category.
• Oxitec: UK-based biotechnology company developing genetically-engineered SIT variants (Friendly™ insects) for agricultural pests including fruit flies. An emerging R&D peer targeting the same Ceratitis capitata use case with potentially disruptive technology.
• Andermatt Biocontrol: Swiss-based producer of biological control agents (Bacillus thuringiensis, nucleopolyhedroviruses, and beneficial insects) with growing fruit fly programs in Latin America. Comparable as an emerging commercial supplier of IPM tools used in programs like MOSCAMED's.

Direct peers

• USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ): The U.S. federal plant protection program that is a trilateral partner of MOSCAMED and operates parallel Mediterranean fruit fly detection, control, and eradication programs in Florida, California, and Hawaii. Most directly comparable as a government-to-government pest management counterpart with shared regulatory authority.
• Suterra: U.S.-based specialty agricultural pest control company that produces pheromone-based mating disruption products and sterile insect technology for crop pests including fruit flies. Operates as a commercial counterpart in the same agricultural IPM space.
• SENASICA-SADER (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria): Mexico's national plant and animal health agency and the second trilateral partner of MOSCAMED. Operates parallel fruit fly programs in Chiapas and other Mexican states bordering Guatemala, with shared funding and recognition protocols — making it a direct operational and governance peer.

Regional players

• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) – Mediterranean Fruit Fly Program: State-level U.S. program operating USDA-coordinated medfly detection, eradication, and quarantine operations in Florida. Functions as a regional peer with the same pest mandate and Sterile Insect Technique methodologies, but serving U.S. citrus/growers rather than Guatemalan producers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MOSCAMEDGT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@programamoscamedguatemala4315
• Facebookfacebook.com/Programa-MOSCAMED-Guatemala-1449883315279781
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/programa-moscamed-gt
• Instagraminstagram.com/moscamedgt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Programa MOSCAMED Guatemala