A six-day Regional workshop on Fungicides and Fungicides resistance in Banana plants sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) commenced in Dominica on Monday.
The workshop is being conducted in response to the Black Sigakota disease currently threatening the region’s banana and plantain crops and will help the region to build further capacity in the ongoing battle against the crop disease.
Two technicians from Dominica, St Lucia, Grenada, Guyana and St Vincent and the Grenadines will be trained in upgrading their capacity in fungicide application. The workshop will also build laboratory capacity which will aid in the management of the Black Sigatoka.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Dr. Eisenhower Douglas at Monday’s opening ceremony cautioned that a holistic approach must be adopted in the effective management of the Black Sigatoka disease.
“We need to conquer the challenges in the laboratory, as well as the challenges in the field, we need the cooperation of the farming community, we need to work hand in hand with them, because if the farmers are successful the Ministry of Agriculture is successful” Dr. Douglas noted.
He said further that “The Ministry of Agriculture is there to serve the farmers, it’s there to help them and I want the farmers of this country be aware of that.”
Dr. Douglas is suggesting that the focus should not be solely on management of the disease but eradication.
“We really want to eradicate the disease, so that the potential of the banana and plantain sub sector is able to reach their maximum” he said.
Senior Plant Pathologist from the Ministry of Agriculture in Cuba Dr. Luis Perez- Vicente, an experienced scientist is in Dominica to facilitate the week-long workshop.
The workshop will end a year of FAO supported activities in response to requests for assistance from the affected countries.
Last year, the FAO provided an expert from Cuba to conduct an assessment of management efforts in each country and identify areas for improvement.
Out of these assessments, each country produced a management plan and an action plan.
A regional plan was also compiled in conjunction with the CARICOM Secretariat and other partners.
Ends.