Dominican chairman oversees Caribbean Plant Health Directors annual meeting

Dominican Nelson Laville, serves as the chairman of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors (CPHD), which recently concluded its 17th annual gathering. Mr Laville, whose biography states that he was trained in Cuba and Mexico, has a background in Agronomy and Plant Pathology. He currently serves as the Plant Protection and Quarantine Services Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and in 2023, was elected as Chairman of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors (CPHD) Forum.

This year’s joint event brought together the CPHD Forum and the International Plant Convention (IPPC) workshop, and was focused on the shared objective of protecting the region’s agriculture and biodiversity from new invasive species, phytosanitary risks, and emerging pests.    

During this meeting, the Forum introduced a revamped governance framework to enhance the processes through which the CPHD, its members, and associated institutions can effectively communicate their interests and decisions. The new governance model emerged from a strategic decision to reorganize and align the technical working groups, ensuring they are fit for purpose and better coordinated in their responses to national, regional, and international commitments.

This realignment is centered around the four key pillars of the CPHD’s five-year strategic plan: advocacy and awareness, capacity building for national entities, development of technical norms and processes, and organizational growth. The previous technical working groups have been replaced by four specialized panels: Pest Prevention and Risk Management, Preparedness and Response, Phytosanitary Measures and Trade Facilitation, and Communications and Outreach.

These panels will concentrate on managing quarantine pests that pose significant threats to the region, as well as other challenging pests that necessitate a coordinated approach at both regional and international levels.

The meeting also featured updates from various technical working groups and new initiatives, including the IPPC Secretariat’s global coordination efforts for Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a disease first identified in Colombia in 2019 and later in Venezuela in 2023. The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures has urged the IPPC to create a resource mobilization plan and establish public-private partnerships to bolster global coordination on TR4 and support countries in their preparedness and response efforts.

Additional updates from partner organizations and experts included an economic analysis of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 in the Caribbean, the renewal of a memorandum of understanding between the University of Florida and the CPHD for access to rapid digital diagnostics, and the latest developments in pest outbreak alert and response systems. The meeting also addressed the establishment of a technical cell within the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) system, assessed risks of invasive alien species entering Barbados and the OECS through international trade and passenger luggage, and discussed the management of the Mediterranean fruit fly in the Dominican Republic.

Furthermore, CARICOM provided insights into the 25 by 25 initiative, which aims to reduce the region’s food import bill—currently estimated at USD 6 billion—and enhance food security. The CPHD Forum acts as the Technical Committee for the Caribbean Regional Plant Protection Organization (RPPO) under the Caribbean Agriculture Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), comprising 32 member countries and partner organizations.