No commercial agriculture is affected by the quarantine. An eradication program has started that includes ground pesticide treatments and increased releases of sterile Medflies. World broccoli demand increases Demand for broccoli is rising worldwide. The US Agriculture Department says broccoli exports have more than doubled in the past decade. Farmers sold nearly 400 million pounds of broccoli to foreign markets last year, with Canada and Japan buying the most.
American consumers continue to eat more broccoli as well.
Per-person consumption in the US has reached a record of 6.7 pounds. California flower growers have seen an unexpected sales increase because of last week's grounding of commercial airplanes. Flight cancellations cut off flower imports, which are largely shipped by air. Most California flowers travel in refrigerated trucks, and the import problems boosted demand. Airlines have told flower importers that it will take several days before normal shipments can resume.