Philippine Bureau of Plant Industry prepares list of crop pests and diseases

THE BUREAU of Plant Industry (BPI) has started the development of a pest list of the country’s agricultural crops, one of the basic requirements for exporting.

In a statement, the Agriculture department said a specimen-based pest list of agricultural cops will soon be available for market access.

"[This] is where importing countries see the list of pests and diseases that might affect their agricultural crops and concerned industries," Clarito M. Barron, BPI director, said.

"The list can also be the basis of assessment whether it is safe to import an agricultural commodity or not. Through this, the plant health status of a country can be assessed," he added.

The bureau’s Crop Protection Division, headed by Wilma R. Cuaterno, will lead the consolidation of the list, the Agriculture department said.

It said the first batch of crops covered by the list include papaya, pomelo, durian, banana, dragon fruit, rambutan, mango, okra, lanzones, melon, watermelon, asparagus and mangosteen.

The division has more than 35,000 preserved specimens of pests and diseases, about 3,000 of which will be used to build the specimen-based pest list of agricultural crops for export, Mr. Barron said in the statement.

He added that he was very "optimistic" the list of pests and diseases of the first batch of crops would be published next year.