Jamaica govt to establish health clinics for plants

The Jamaica Government is expected to establish several plant health clinics across the island, as they ramp up efforts to address the issue of pests and diseases affecting crops.

The clinics form a part of the newly launched Plantwise, which is being coordinated by the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International (CABI).

Some 20 plant doctors will be trained in the management of the clinics and to provide service to farmers.

The trained plant doctors will be assigned to two agro parks as part of the pilot phase for the implementation of Plantwise. Training is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of the upcoming financial year.

State Minister for Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Luther Buchanan at the launch of the programme, at the Knutsford Court in New Kingston, said the country welcomed the initiative that will “add value and resilience to agricultural production in Jamaica”.
“We welcome this particular joint effort with CABI to establish and manage on-farm plant health clinics to diagnose and provide solutions to plant pests and diseases,” he said.

The State Minister said that the programme is vital, as plant health and the prevention, mitigation and management of plant pests and diseases are critical to achieving the country’s goals for food safety and food security.

“Given the sensitivity and vulnerability of the agricultural sector and its susceptibility to issues such as climate change and diseases and pests, it is paramount that every step is taken to safeguard plant and animal health which ultimately impact the health of the human population,” he said.

Jamaica will be the 49th country to benefit from Plantwise.

Plantwise is a global programme aimed at removing constraints to agricultural productivity through increased access to information and effective delivery of national advisory services.

It also aims to enlarge a global knowledge bank, bringing together and sharing existing and new information on plant health to support and inform stakeholders in national plant health systems with long-term potential for effective global vigilance.

Additionally, it seeks to implement national networks of plant clinics and strengthen national plant health systems to improve agricultural services for farmers.

CABI is an international not-for-profit organisation that improves people’s lives by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.

CABI aims to strengthen national plant health systems through developing local capacity to establish and manage sustainable networks of plant clinics, run by trained plant doctors, where farmers can find practical plant health advice.