Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Harold Guiste has said the dreaded Black Sigatoka Disease (BSD) is threatening the island’s food security.
Guiste’s remarks come at the start of a ten-day Integrated Disease Management of Black Sigatoka Disease (BSD) workshop for the forecasting of BSD using weather and disease development, which got underway at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus on Monday 23rd, November 2015.
BSD is a leaf spot disease that affects banana and plantain which was detected on the island a few years ago.
“We wish that Black Sigatoka Disease had not come to our shores but in reality it is here and it is severely impacting the livelihood of our farmers, our foreign exchange capacity has been significantly reduced and it is going as far as threatening our food security,” he said.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the Ministry has not been idle but has been using various means to arrest the problem.
In that regard, the Ministry has undertaken some initiatives such as the early confirmation and rapid island-wide assessment of the disease, ongoing public sensitization, as well as the establishment of policies for the banana and plantain sub-sector among others.
“The ministry of agriculture has invested tremendous amount of financial resources; human, material resources combat this disease,” Guiste noted.
Meantime Officer in Charge at Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Dominica, Dorian Etienne said the training comes at a good time.
“It is important for us to understand that managing Black Sigatoka involves science,” he stated. “Understanding the epidemiology of the disease, understanding how weather contributes to the development and spread of the disease in order to combat the disease we have to have that thorough knowledge of these factors and others that will impact on this development and spread,” he noted. “So this training is very timely. Timely too when we look at the weather conditions we have been having for some time now. The high levels of rainfall and humidity, while they are important for the growth of the plants, but they also lend themselves to this development and spread [of BSD].”
The training is being done in collaboration with CARDI, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Ministry of Agriculture from the 23rd of November to 4th of December 2015.
The training is just one component of a regional project that is being implemented by CARDI.
its not only Black Sigatoka but also the Labour party
It was discovered in Dominica by Sharon Jones who had warned about it just as she did the citrus diseases which she set up treatment programs for.
Unfortunately her tremendous achievements was not app4eciated in Dominica and now God uses her to solve the black sigatoka problem throughout the Caribbean where al the. Countries are happy to benefit from her knowledge. The judicial system and the police couldn’t be bothered to provide her with the protection any other diplomat gets as a car
Only now that Dominica has seen other caricom nations benefit benefit from her expertise that she is back to train you how to manage this disease.
What is the latest with the plantlets from France? Drigo told some farmers in Castlebruce in July that in 7months, the country will be exporting bananas. These farmers were some recipients of plantlets,,
Stupse. Does Jono know a nything about bananas?
Do uou think he even knows what he is talking about?
That was in July. Consider in August TS Erika struck and its devastation.
why are those idiots saying the same thing every year…. that there more than 5 years,,,, chupes
They are waiting for people as you to say and do something concrete and worthwhile.
What about the imported banana plants from France? Was it a waste of tax payers money? Give us an update Mr Guiste.
Black Sigatoka Disease threatens what security?
Well didn\’t the Castle Bruce ….boast about his (two townsand); thousand banana plants from France was supposed to eliminate Black Sigatoka in Dominica. You suckers say you had all the answers to make Dominica be like America, and even more prosperous than America, and how Dominica was going to be a model for the rest of the Caribbean.
How surprising it is to see the nakedness of people like you; and Dominica exposed. Everybody now knows that the treasury is empty, the country is bankrupt. I suggest the worst is yet to come.
It has just began!
These actions seem rather late and absent of specifics…BSD was discovered back in 2012. That is now three years..I am surprised to hear that we are now considering training about BSD. We have had FAO Dr Vincente’s two reports on the epidemiology, and control options and what actions were necessary.. Have those actions been implemented?? I understand that there have been several stakeholder meetings locally…,,Farmers, DAPEX etc.. What is the strategy regarding spray zones, fungicides and oil supplies , mist-blowers, equipment and calibration,, determination of cycles of spray, forecasting, status of the Vitropic plantlets at One Mile?///,
In a real country Mr Guise would have to provide answers to very important questions. For example why it is that the black sigatoka was not effectively controlled in Dominica as was done in the neighboring islands.
Why did the government not engage our own local expert in combating the disease?
How much effort and resources were awarded to the control of Black Sigatoka?
Oh my. Are you saying Dominica is not a real country? I understand you but i would rather say in a developed or civilized country.
Indira Ghanaian is not me that say it was your Prime Minister who saI’d that “if Dominica was a real country “. So if the Prime Minister who control the country says so who am I not to.
Aila I just feel sorry for some fig I just see