Banana industry suffers major blow

Damage caused by Black Sigatoka

Dominica’s struggling banana industry has been hit with a major blow with the news that at least one Caribbean country has indicated it would not be accepting fruits from Dominica because of the deadly Black Sigatoka Disease.

The revelation was made on Wednesday by Agriculture Minister Mathew Walter at an emergency press conference.

“We have already been threatened. Montserrat has written to us that they will not accept any fruits coming from us, especially plantain and bananas,” Walter said.

He stated that government expect other countries to follow suit. “We expect Anguilla, Antigua, Nevis and ST Kitts to follow suit,” he said.

He said while these countries have not officially written to government, they have indicated their intentions “verbally”.

“I think the faster that we can move this pest away from Dominica is better for us,” he added.

Black Sigatoka is a leaf spot disease of banana that can cut a tree’s fruit production by 50 percent.

The presence of the disease was confirmed in Dominica last month.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

43 Comments

  1. no body
    August 3, 2012

    we got too complacent with this disease we should have done every thing to prevent it from reaching us, now we pay the price of well over five million dollars to manage it. prevention is better than cure.

  2. Anonymous
    August 2, 2012

    B-dawg You know you are in the Big Apple your past comments indictae such, you are another dominican, hidding form the outhority, I.C.E is looking for you, i will see you in Roseau soon, and will have a kubulie beer, at the old market.

  3. WAY PAPA
    August 2, 2012

    Obviously we have identified a problem with the banana industry. How do we solve it?we identify the source of the problem we find experts to help us identify the cause we then find solutions we treat the problem….we access to see how and if
    the treatment is effective and we make sure that the treatment is effective….we continue to monitor the effectivness of the treatment we learn from our mistakes and we move on. Most importantly we do not repeat the mistakes. This is problem solving solutions. Blaming Skerrit will not help…Do we really believe that Skerrit caused the problem?Really? Dominica is
    our country we need to work together all this hate is so unneccessary.God bless my country and it’s people .onelove!

  4. TW
    August 2, 2012

    1.) Burn and cut down all affected crops
    2.) lease government owned lands to farmers to plant specific crops for export
    3.) Monitor production to make sure it’s up to standard and not being affected by anything making sure to promptly cut out any crop showing signs of disease.
    4.) Hire a consultant to hold a workshop or training course with farmers about organic farming, it’s benefits, difficulties and cons (everything has cons).
    5.) Allocate at least 6-8 million to repair feeder roads, I love education but if I can’t eat then I’ll die and my knowledge is for nothing.

    This is my opinion on actions that can and should be taken and I’m not a farmer or an agriculturist so they would know better but I feel this is just the common sense part of it.

  5. Ray
    August 2, 2012

    When an employee consistently displays incompetence and failure to perform his/her job, then that person is eventually FIRED!
    Dominicans … our current PM and his cohorts, crooks, and cronies have displayed gross incompetence for too long now – we need to FIRE THEM!!

    WAKE UP MY PEOPLE – SAVE DOMINICA FOR CHILDREN!!!

    • Delicious
      August 3, 2012

      @ Ray – If I’m to understand your comment, you are blaming the prime minister for the infected bananas?

      I have a couple of rose bushes that became infected from some type of spider…..I’m wondering, shoild I blame President Obama for that?

      I certainly appreciate constructive criticism and spirited debates, but your comment my friend, is way over the top.

  6. Garbo
    August 2, 2012

    Considering that half of US counties are devastated by epic drought, food shortages and price inflation is going to explode. Dominica is poised to benefit if it seriously focuses now on agriculture. Agriculture is as good as gold, as people around the world are going to start starving and social unrest will explode. Get planting. Gas prices going up too. It’s no longer cheap to ship food in from South America and Asia. The Caribbean is great proximity to the US mainland.

  7. Sydney solis
    August 2, 2012

    Considering that half of US counties are devastated by epic drought, food shortages and price inflation is going to explode. Dominica is poised to benefit if it seriously focuses now on agriculture. Agriculture is as good as gold, as people around the world are going to start starving and social unrest will explode. Get planting. Gas prices going up too. It’s no longer cheap to ship food in from South America and Asia. The Caribbean is great proximity to the US mainland.

  8. Jacky Chan
    August 2, 2012

    People have been talking about this leaf spot disease for months. Did the authorities do enough to counteract this problem? If we really cherish our agriculture industry our actions must reflect the same.

  9. Morihei Ueshiba
    August 2, 2012

    Hmmm God punishing Dominicans! First Tourism, now Agriculture. Vote skerrit again, :lol: :lol:

  10. Jackie Brown
    August 2, 2012

    Growing up in Dominica I never heard of banana suffering with such disease. Dominica is in this problem because of the chemical which they are now using to spray the plants.
    The Prime Minister need to do more for the farmers and stop depending on tourism only, if all of these countries stop importing from Dominica the economy is going to suffer badly.

    • budman
      August 2, 2012

      so a CHEMICAL caused a BIOLOGICAL disease??

    • fireman
      August 2, 2012

      it came from venezuela… its called diesease for gold

  11. ?????????
    August 2, 2012

    When the head is sick, the entire body must be sick. Do we have a government? Do we have a minister of agriculture? Instead of trying to tackle and solve our problems, the PM is touring the entire world, at our tax payers expense.He cares less if the country plunges into further poverty than it presently is. WHO CARES!

  12. Anonymous
    August 2, 2012

    Lord Jesus I ask that you cleanse this country from this Black Sigatoka that is damaging our Banana and PLantain amen.
    I love my fig ….can’t afford to lose it!

  13. cadencelypso
    August 2, 2012

    DNO WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY COMMENTS?

  14. cadencelypso
    August 2, 2012

    so you all run your your voice box to blame people for that.you really believe that the minister would allow this thing intentionally.from years agriculture is suffering.there was a time every family wanred their youth to eget an office job.if everyone come from foreign to work the land you believe this can change the situation?get the source of this disease.people comming to DA carrying everything they get!

  15. Anoushah Alie
    August 1, 2012

    This is so not good, especially for struggling farmers. The agriculture industry has been getting bad press for some time now, yet little attention and action were implemented to tackle the industry’s problems. It has to be the chinese made fertilizer plus the officials who didn’t help the farmers make the switch to “organic.” Sadly, it is always the “poor” who has to suffer the most, because the people that they vote for to look out for them, end up looking out for themselves!!

  16. Visitor
    August 1, 2012

    Banana diseases are caused by to many chemical elements in the fertilizers. Nothing more. The wind did not carry the virus or bacteria or else we would be drying up. its from all the stupid chemicals used to implement a so called better product. Better product my foot. what else can make a good tasty brothe than an immature banana? All the so called experts brought in from India and beyond will carry foolishness with them to derail us. 40-50 years ago the industry did not have all these implementations and the banana bunches were so green and pure.

  17. Anonymous
    August 1, 2012

    They will starve lets get our heads together and come up with a plan to save our banana industry…………but the Caribbean countries that trying to cut their style on us we will leave them starve

    • budman
      August 2, 2012

      again, i ask how are they going to starve if the only thing they will ban is bananas? you tink is monkey you feeding dat only eat bananas? but more importantly, how is their starving going to help us and our farmers if they cant export?? and if by chance they only eat bananas so that they would starve if they don’t have any (foolish comment on your part)then they would simply migrate to our fair Dominica to live and we won’t be able to say no they can’t come cos a bunch of us live by them. stop being insular in your thoughts my friend,

  18. Malgre Ca
    August 1, 2012

    The Black Cigatoka disease speaks to the neglect that the banana industry has suffered under this administration. Agriculture which is one of the most basic forms of livelihood and especially in Dominica where there is very little manufacturing, is in a lamentable state.

  19. tect nee cal lity
    August 1, 2012

    what does it profit a man to travel the whole world looking for recognition, when he neglects his nation subsistance.
    through out the years,banana sustained Dominica;
    Now is time for Dominica to sustain banana;
    Time to put maximum effort in saving the industry.
    put the POLITICS aside.

  20. willy
    August 1, 2012

    alas some one help the mr of agriculture to think instead for him to appeal to the other countries to take our fruits on condition that they all will be treated and will be better presented in boxes and so on he jumps and say he expect them to say that they will no longer be taking banana and plantain from Dominica SAME SHAME on you minister think before you speak

  21. Bushmaninda
    August 1, 2012

    Which is more important to the country, fighting the deadly Black Sigatoka Disease or building a state Palace? Like most of the voting public, the Bushmaninda is not au fait in such ‘rocket science’ matters but he trusts that the smart people running the country know what to do. The Bushmaninda hope there smart people don’t decide to unleash a host of chemikals on the public in order to fight this Sigatoka Disease.

  22. hard core dominican
    August 1, 2012

    last year when the pm went to morroco for to get a ferlilizer deal he come back with the hotel plan. this administration do not care about agriculure.

  23. easy
    August 1, 2012

    garcon is grow the said country cant grow food so let them STARVE!

    • budman
      August 2, 2012

      huh? elaborate on this. you think Montserrat will starve because they don’t have bananas from DA? St. Lucia export them as well…garcon. Furthermore how is that solving our problem of not earning export dollars? foolishness is still free.

      Skerro needs to find a way to eradicate this pest quickly.

  24. new york
    August 1, 2012

    but when for us to work the land we leave and run too new york beliveing it was a good time right now look at the fam let’s go back and work it because working in america doesn’t pay and we all know that don’t matter how much money u man it doesn’t pay let’s go back home and make a penny and we’ll save a penny

    • Anonymous
      August 2, 2012

      U a rite

    • Jackie Brown
      August 2, 2012

      When you start the others will follow. Why did you leave in the first place? Stop blowing hot air.

    • mamizoo
      August 2, 2012

      Post a copy of your airline ticket and pictures of your suitcases and barrels and we will believe you

    • B-dawg
      August 2, 2012

      @ new york, I am not in New York, nor in any other state, but I am going,in answer to the call. What about u? May God bless and heal the land

  25. ideal
    August 1, 2012

    must be them that bring this on our farmers, lets see how many dominican can benifit from tourisim
    Dominica is and agricultural island, something has to be done..MAY GOD HELP US

  26. Very concerned
    August 1, 2012

    How long again can Dominica continue with Matthew Walter as Minister of Agriculture?
    Who is going to start the campaign to send at his home?
    Let me begin MATTHEW MUST GO!!!!!!
    Enough is Enough.

  27. Brain DAMAGE
    August 1, 2012

    The only remedy now is to cut down the entire plantations that are affected, before the rest of the world put a bann on our fruits.

  28. Concerned
    August 1, 2012

    Lord help us from this. We can’t survive without our bananas……

  29. Looking on
    August 1, 2012

    What plans as the Minister for Agriculture are you putting in place to soften the blow? What have you and Cabinet decided to do regards investing money into the eradication of the disease?
    Don’t call an emergency conference to tell the people what they already expect, call a conference to inform them of the innovative,defensive strategies your Ministry will be implementing.

    • I c...
      August 2, 2012

      while we’re on the subject of Agriculture, ask the Minister what is the plan for the Citrus Industry and how much will be alocated from this new budget towards Citrus rehabilliation.

      • Anonymous
        August 2, 2012

        it is clear that u havent seen the facilty for the citrus programe. the facility is there, the programme is in place.. the problem here is market. not only for citrus but for the entire agri industry. there are programs in place its jus that the ppl are not aware of these programs.

  30. Doc.Love
    August 1, 2012

    While skerrit playing Columbus,travelling all over the world,the country is going down slowly. The Skerrit Labor Government doesnt care wether the banana industry sinks or float.The recent budget is a clear indication.Every tuesday,we hear the farmers begging for assistance,I have never heard one member of Government called a meeting with Aaron and his team,atleast to find out what are their problems. My belief is that,if a programe does not first come from the Government,it can be the best programe in the world,it isn’t doing nowhere.

    • langbeff
      August 1, 2012

      he already put all his eggs(tourism)in one basket and neglect agriculture, now some eggs fall and break and agriculture reduced to zero i wonder how he can lead dominica to a productive future

  31. Concerned
    August 1, 2012

    God help us from this. We can’t do without bananas…

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available