$7.5M approved for pests management in coconut industry

…project to commence in July

Farmers in the coconut industry who have been complaining of suffering major losses through diseases and pest infestation can now pin their hopes for relief on the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), which has recently announced that it has been approved the sum of $7.5 million to battle the situation.

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategy, slated to commence in July 2017, seeks to increase the level of productivity in the coconut industry, which of recent has seen a major decline.

The project, developed by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), will implement strategic measures to directly address the current issue.

IPM strategy is to focus on key stages, such as sanitation and the monitoring of the coconut plants, in addition to practising intercropping using crops such as pumpkins, beans and cucumbers etc.

However, field testing is to be conducted before the initiative commences in the areas that are predominantly affected, such as Mahaica in Region Five; Wakenaam in Region Three; and the Pomeroon in Region Two.

Large-scale coconut farmer and Councillor of Pomeroon, Vilma Da Silva, only recently reported that coconut production has significantly decreased as a result of the infestation of red palm mite. Red palm mite causes the leaves of plants to wither before falling off, in time killing that plant.

DaSilva explained that coconut production had declined by 75%, and that decline was taking a toll on the coconut estates in the Pomeroon. At a statutory meeting held to discuss the issue, Da Silva had highlighted the importance of the coconut industry to the livelihoods of those in Region Two, and had called for the situation to be given urgent attention.

“Urgent attention needs to be given to coconut farmers. Rice is always declining, and if the coconut industry is affected, it will definitely have a negative effect on the region’s economy,” Da Silva explained.

The councillor had further called for improved quarantine measures to be taken, as the failure to practise this safety measure had over time caused the spread of diseases in the coconut industry.

And farmers of Wakenaam in Region Three are currently battling the same issue, as the red palm mite, known as the Raoiella indica Hirst, has also resurfaced on that island. One farmer, Ramkisson, has reached out to Guyana Times to express great concern that some 600 coconut plants in his nursery could all be affected by the mite, as its infestation continues to spread.

The presence of the red palm mite was first discovered in Wakenaam back in 2004.

In Mahaica, Region Five, farmers are complaining of a similar issue plaguing them and contributing to major losses in that region.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAREI, Dr Oudho Homenauth, has said that to maximize the coconut industry’s production at this point, special care is needed at the early stages of planting.

He highlighted other pests and diseases that coconut palms are currently subjected to, such as Red Palm mite, Red palm weevil, Scale insects, whiteflies, coconut Rhinoceros beetle, Coconut eriophyid mite, Coconut mealy bug and Coconut Red Ring.

Guyana is home to over 25,000 hectares of coconut palms, grown in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten; and has an average annual production of 92 million nuts. The coconut industry remains an important source of livelihood for farmers, and is ranked as the third most important crop economically.