Dominica and Antigua are closely dialoguing as the two countries face the threat of the deadly Black Sigatoka disease, according to Ryan Anselm Head of the Plant Protection and Qaurantine Services
Antigua announced that it has placed a number restrictions on fruit imports from Dominica because of the threat and former General Manager of the Dominica banana Marketing Corporation (DBMC), Edison James, has called on the government to secure the island’s banana export market by dialoguing with countries that have placed restrictions on the importation of Dominica’s agricultural produce.
But Anselm said there is ongoing dialogue between Antigua and Dominica. “Because of our close relationship with Antigua there is constant dialogue at the level of the plant protection and quarantine offices,” he told Dominica News Online.
According to Anselm, Antigua has the obligation under international conventions to protect it shores from invasive species and Dominica has put in place a number of measures to protect and secure its market both regionally and internationally. He said it is part of a strategy to prevent the disease from spreading to other countries.
“All plantains and bananas should be dipped in fungicide before they are boxed for the export market,” he stated in explaining some of the measures that have been put in place.
He said August has been declared Banana and Plantain Field Sanitation Month under the theme ‘Observing Good Agricultural Practice and Adhering to Cultural Practices’ and activities planned include the ‘de-leafing’ of plantain and banana trees, correct spacing and crop density and destruction of abandoned fields.
Anselm also wants to make it clear that the measures put in place by Antigua are only restrictions on how fruits are imported to its shores.
He is calling on farmers to adhere to all necessary protocols.
In placing the restrictions Antigua has notified it citizens that fruit imports from Dominica will be confiscated and destroyed if the necessary documentation is not in place.
Mangos, guavas, bananas, plantains, cut flowers and dried coconuts have been placed on the black list.
The presence of Black Sigatoka was confirmed in Dominica last month.
” once black sigatoka reach Dominica’s shores the bible prophecy is really being fulfilled ”
Someone question my sanity on DNO a couple of days ago due to comments I made regarding the performance of two Dominica athletes at the Olympic games.
Well, maybe I am crazy, however unless you can produce a passage of scripture from the Bible, and not one that you wrote, I want you to present it to substantiate the crap that you are talking.
Unless you can do that perhaps it is time that you consult with a psychiatrist!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
you are an a
All these technocrats in the Ministry of Agriculture, DEXIA etc haven’t learnt that we need to be PRO-ACTIVE and stop being reactive!! We
have been hearing of the disease on other islands, why wait for Antigua to take action to protect their sector then begin dialogue?
Fungicide sounds like a short term fix, I wonder what measures Dominica’s agriculture industry are taking to alleviate the problem of Black Sigatoka so as to regain confidence in its export markets for the long term?
In organic and biodynamic vineyards, compounds from naturally derived sources, usually containing sulfur in some form, are used during the growing season to control fungal diseases, as are measures to reduce moisture (fungus loves moisture!) such as creating more air flow by trimming back leaves, etc.
since skerrit the chinese and the venezuelans came on the picture we getting all kind of diseases
Politics has nothing to do with any sort of plant disease affecting the banana plants suggesting it is Skerrit’s fault is outright stupid!
It is deeper than that, someone mentioned the Bible; the fact is the nonsense the person spoke about end of time and biblical prophecy has nothing to do with it either.
However, there is a Biblical principal which God himself ordained to facilitate the planting of agricultural products which have been ignored the world over, and as long as that principal is not followed the fruits produced will be substandard, and in most cases agriculture will cease to exists.
Scientifically, in modern times we discover, and is a know fact that when agricultural land are farmed for more than seven years, all of the nutrients in the soil are used up, depleted, therefore if farming is not ceased for another seven years the yell will be insignificant.
We see lots of farmers in America go bankrupt trying to produced on over farmed plntations!
In Dominica, all of our farm land have been under cultivation for more than sixty years continuously, it matters not what amount of fertilizer the plants gets, or pesticide to evade plant diseases, that is not going to help the situation.
Perhaps now is the time to simply walk away from the Banana Industry, for at least seven years and see what happens, I doubt it would make any difference.
I am not going to disclose the calculation going backward in years of resting, ( cause somebody will call me crazy again) but that’s the reality, way back as 2000, it was anticipated the industry would soon die. That is why Dole and Chitiqua abandon the quest to obtained the monopoly on the banana market in Europe.
Remember they were insisting on the Windward island provencal privilege be taken away. Since the findings, they abandoned their quest.
Skerrit nor Chavez can save a single plant from the disease, and they did not cause the problem, it takes only a fool to make such a stupid political comment. Whosoever, government, or individual can throw as much money they wish into the industry to try and save it, they will simply be throwing their money away.
The banana industry is dead!
Dead in Uganda, and other parts of Africa
Dead in South America
Dead in Dominica, and the rest of the Windward island, and that’s just the way it is!
That disease is not only in Dominica, it is everywhere bananas are planted and grown!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
http://zjb.gov.ms/?p=7615
What nonsence you talking about? If you don’t want anything reaching on the soils of Dominica, it should not be in existence. Do you think it is right mentioning the bible and what was prophesized and in the same paragraph making some sarcastic remark regarding the Haitians and Chinese?
By the way my comment was in reply to NOU PWI
The end times are near… once black sigatoka reach Dominica’s shores the bible prophecy is really being fulfilled since Dominica is usually the last country everything bad reaching.
The people of Dominica must ask God for some relief through prayer…let’s all go back to God and humble our selves in his presence… only he can save us from this wrath which has been brought on this land by you know who??? They say haitian voodoo and chinese black magic… since these are the tourists we get coming to our shores these days……lmao
@Nou pwi
You said “the end of times is near” and if you had continued with a more spiritual theme here, you would have gotten a thumbs from me. For I know that we cannot speak about the end of times and not to think spiritual, since spirituallity is the reason for the end of times–the end of humanity.
What are you talking about when include voodoo and black magic from Haitians and Chinese? Do you have concrete evidence of the “truth” with that idea in your mind? I am sure not!
But I too, believe that the end of times is near, because Jesus told us that the Word of God will not come out of His mouth in vain. Besides the signs are too visible for us not to believe. Jesus would not have spoken to us about those signs if it were not true. “He always said truly, truly I tell you!”————-
The question of food plants with disease is one of the prophecies at the Book of Revelation–where the apostle John speaks about his “vision while He was in the “Spirit” through his conscience–the evidence is at chapters 5-20m right after Jesus finished speaking to the seven Churches–better known as the seven Spirits.
Those prophecies are pertaining to the tribulations, of the last days, that man must suffer before everything is “made new”; and especially pertaining to the transformation of God’s chosen people, His elects becoming lost from the state of humanity and to be found in the state of spirituality.
Life is in the spirit; and being reconciled to God in the Spirit makes man a perfect being as he was created to be, before Adam and Eve defiled that nature through disobedience and sinfulness. This caused them spiritual death–the condition by which they brought us the offspring into this world.
In the Life of Spirit and Truth we will know no sadness and no sorrow; we will know no suffering and no pain; we will know no darkness and no night; we will know no sickness and no death. This will come to pass because Satan will be captured and bound for 1000 years that Holy Spirit will do His work of perfect those of us who are God’s chosen people.
But we will know the ecstasy of Joy and Peace through faith–the kind of faith that works through Love, Love which motivates our mind to nurture the traits of Life in Jesus Christ–having found victory and freedom by faith.
The Tree of Life will be there for us, bearing twelve different kinds of fruit every year; so that we will eat the perfect fruits, –there will be no fear of disease,for there cannot be any disease in the Fruit that is from the Tree of Life.
There will also be the river of Life that we can drink from, and we will never be thirsty again. For those of you who were just born yesterday, may I tell that when I was child up to late twenties there was no such thing called water for sale in the food department of the shops. My faith tells me that this water sale thing happened because of God’s training and discipline to rely on water as a food of Life.
But all of those good times of the future belong to those of us who gladly choose Life in Jesus now! There will be no choice on the other side of the grave. Believe it or not!
Dominicans, you are my people. I sincerely belive that God lives on our mountains, and is watching our every thought, word, and deed. Why don’t we all reach out and choose Him now, while we have the privilege. Just rebuke the negative thoughts that Satan puts in your mind, through his demon servants–it is bad for your faith in God.
O dear! I just continue to write and write when I am speaking about God. If you love Him like I do, you will understand—Liz Xavier