Pest problems could lead to a shortage of bananas in the next few weeks.A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said yesterday that officials had worked with importers to tackle pest contaminations — and the expensive inspection process needed to block the pests.The problem started when a large number of bananas imported from South America and Central America in late 2018 were found to be infected with scale and mealybugs.Walter Roban, the Minister of Home Affairs, said: “The number of live mealybug and mealybug eggs found was alarmingly high and posed a serious risk to Bermuda’s banana industry, local crops and ornamental plants.“The scale insect infestation was equally concerning as live scale and eggs were detected on all parts of the imported banana fruit.”Mr Roban added that the species of mealybug found on the bananas was not known in Bermuda.He said: “Plant biosecurity is of paramount importance to any country to safeguard food security, sustainability of agricultural and horticultural production, and also protects the livelihood of farmers and landscapers. “As a result of tireless efforts by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bermuda is still free from many devastating pests which are causing serious damage and losses elsewhere. “It is essential to continue to prevent the entry, establishment and spread of these invasive pests as they could wreak havoc in Bermuda.” The ministry spokeswoman said the Government had discussed potential solutions with importers, such as a review of inspection techniques to ensure only clean shipments or an on-island system to treat incoming shipments.Mr Roban said importers in Bermuda were required to have their products pre-inspected in the country of origin before they are exported, with the shipments inspected again on the island.He added: “Frequently the DENR personnel inspect boxes which are marked as inspected overseas only to encounter the pests on these bananas. “Therefore, despite the significant screening efforts by the department and local importers, shipments continue to arrive on island infested with live mealybugs and scale in all stages of their life cycle.“However, we are confident that we can work with importers to implement a solution, causing minimal inconvenience to the public.”