PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—Proactive measures and initiatives to strengthen and address phytosanitary systems in the region will be among the issues discussed when the joint meeting of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors (CPHD) Forum and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Workshop gets underway here next week.
The August 26-30 meeting will also receive an update on the CPHD’s safeguarding tools and databases, international and regional coordination efforts in response to pest outbreaks, and a preliminary assessment of the risks posed by the introduction of invasive alien species into Barbados and the OECS from two high-risk pathways, namely international trade and passenger luggage.
The CPHD Forum is the Technical Committee of the Caribbean RPPO—Caribbean Agriculture Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) on agriculture and plant health issues. It is comprised of 32 member countries and partner organizations.
The organizers said that the Safeguarding TWG, the Caribbean Pest Diagnostics Network, the Regional Priority Pest List Committee, Emergency Response and Preparedness, Fruit Fly, and the Musa and TR4 Technical Working Group will present reports from the technical working groups (TWGs) on activities and new initiatives consistent with the CPHD five-year strategic plan.
“With regards to TR4, a severe fungal disease of bananas and plantain, the working group will provide information on the global coordination of the disease and the economic analysis conducted to estimate the potential impacts of TR4 on each country in the region,” according to a statement issued ahead of the meeting next week.
The analysis evaluated five possible scenarios, ranging from ‘do nothing’ to implementing practices that improved surveillance and containment, integrated crop disease management, and breeding fusarium-resistant banana cultivars.
“The disease can affect 1.70 million hectares (18 percent) of banana areas worldwide by 2040. It can also disrupt the local and international consumption and trade of bananas, with a global production value of US$120 billion. “
The IPPC workshop will provide a platform to increase Caribbean participation in the discussion and participatory development of draft standards and recommendations on International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures under consultation.
The forum will also provide relevant updates on plant health matters and initiatives to influence and promote policies and strategic interventions in the Caribbean region that will impact/ or require the CPHD’s membership support and involvement in safeguarding the region from pests and invasive species.
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