By Zoila Palma: Today, Minister of Agriculture Rodwell Ferguson and BAHA’s Chairman Hugh O’Brien attended a regional meeting in Guatemala where the International Regional Organization for Health in Agriculture (OIRSA)’s experts discussed new technologies, including AI visual, AI dog inspection and rapid test kits, that are being applied to protect the Central American region from the devastating Fusarium Race 4 disease in bananas.
The Ministry of Agriculture noted that the experts will visit Belize later this month to meet with BAHA’s Director of Plant Health, Francisco Gutierez and BAHA’s Director of Quarantine Hernan Zetina.
The Ministry explained that the entry of the Fusarium R4 disease can quickly devastate Belize’s $90 million banana industry. BAHA personnel, working in partnership with OIRSA and others, are therefore doing their best to prevent its entry into Belize.
And if the disease reaches Belize’s shores, technical personnel and farmers have been trained on appropriate biosecurity measures that can be used to reduce its spread.
Work has also been done by the Ministry, BAHA and OIRSA with support from Taiwan to test the performance and market acceptance of new disease tolerant banana varieties in Belize.
The post Ministry of Agriculture, BAHA and partners ramp up efforts to safeguard Belize’s $90 million banana industry from devastating disease appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Today, Minister of Agriculture Rodwell Ferguson and BAHA’s Chairman Hugh O’Brien attended a regional meeting in Guatemala where the International Regional Organization for Health in Agriculture (OIRSA)’s experts discussed new technologies, including AI visual, AI dog inspection and rapid test kits, that are being applied to protect the Central American region from
The post Ministry of Agriculture, BAHA and partners ramp up efforts to safeguard Belize’s $90 million banana industry from devastating disease appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
