Banana Board Urges Farmers Not to Accept Planting Material Sourced Overseas

The Banana Board is urging farmers across the island not to accept plant material known to be sourced overseas.

This, in light of the deadly Tropical Race Four (TR4) Disease, which can wipe out Jamaica’s entire banana and plantain cultivations, reportedly surfacing in at least one country.

Against this background, the Board is encouraging farmers to be vigilant.

General Manager, Janet Conie, says while there is no report of the disease being in Jamaica, the Board does surveil for it.

“We train farmers about it, we tell people about it and I don’t lose any opportunity to tell persons [that while] it is not here, it can come on anybody. It can come on shoes, in soil and on a piece of banana plant, even a dried piece… if you take it from an infected area or an infected plant,” she informed.

Mrs. Conie, who was speaking recently during the Jamaica Information Service’s television programme – ‘Get the Facts’, said the disease is currently in South America.

“It is in Venezuela, which is next to Trinidad [and Tobago] which we commute very much with. People move with plant material, and it is the plant material that carries it. So we are telling people [to] be aware,” she emphasised.

Mrs. Conie noted that in times of disaster, “people try to help you by bringing you something”.

“Do not take anything from anybody that includes planting material. All fresh and dried planting material of banana and plantain are not allowed to come back into Jamaica for this very reason,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Conie urges farmers to look out for signs of TR4 Disease presenting in their plants.

“It causes the plant to wilt [and] the leaves are dried. In fact, the waterlogged situation looks a lot like TR4, and this is why we ask that farmers call us if they see anything. We also ask you to take preventative measures,” she said.

Farmers are asked to limit access to their farms by outsiders who could bring in the disease on their shoes.

“Anybody who comes on your farm should disinfect their shoes in a disinfectant bath, which we tell them how to prepare. If your farmer works on different farms and use their own tools, the tools must be disinfected. If it is your tools, you should also disinfect before every operation,” Mrs. Conie informed.

She added that, “it is a kind of preventative measure so, should it come, it is curtailed and it doesn’t spread fast”.

“Call us… if you see anything strange [and] we will come, we will do our analyses and we will tell you if it is safe,” Mrs. Conie said.

For guidance on how to keep your banana and plantain farms safe, persons can send their queries via email to bananaboard@cwjamaica.com.