CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum (CPHD) has adopted a five-year strategic work plan that will form the basis for evidence-based reporting on performance and results for 2023- 2028.
According to a statement issued here, the forum, attended by representatives of partner agencies, technical working groups, and lead technical experts, provided updates on the 2022/2023 work plans, outlining achievements, gaps, challenges, and new developments related to plant health and trade.
“The forum presented its five-year strategic work plan and the linkages to the structure and membership of the Technical Working Groups (TWG) for the achievement of strategic objectives and future development of project proposals for donor agencies,” the statement said.
It said a highlight of the forum was the election of a new CPHD executive headed by Dominican Nelson Laville, with Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. Janil Gore-Francis as vice chair, and Damien Rowe of Jamaica as the technical secretary.
The statement said that the forum also discussed the revised Caribbean Plant Diagnostics Network (CPDN) and the renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the University of Florida and the CPHD for an additional two years and the continuing efforts over the next 16 months to encourage member countries to increase the usage of the CPDN for rapid in-country diagnostics.
The statement said that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) provided an update on the program to reduce the region’s food imports bill by 25 percent by the year 2025 and highlighted the importance of work of the CPHD and its constituents in safeguarding the area and enhancing food and nutrition security and trade.
The meeting also received an update on the Caribbean Biosecurity Interceptions System (CBIS) pilot in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, designed to ensure compliance with the international phytosanitary measures standards.
“The initiative on pet and horticulture trade with a focus on risks of invasive and alien species as pathways and threats to the region outlined the elements of a smart framework which provides an opportunity to collect, collate information for better risk analysis and decision making,” was also discussed the statement.
But it said the major highlight of the meeting was a technical session on the Tropical Race 4 (TR4) disease of banana or fusarium wilt, a deadly disease of bananas and plantains. The soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporumf causes it.TR4.
The statement said that after much discussion and the sharing of experiences, the meeting proposed several recommendations, including lobbying for the strengthening of national regulations regarding TR4, advocating for strengthening border control resources and technology for early warning and early detection as well as public awareness programs at the national and regional levels.
It also recommended research and validation of tolerant varieties, exploring alternative food security and livelihood security options, and encouraging a participatory approach to the surveillance, management, and exclusion of TR4.
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