The
Plant Protection Service under the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday held
a daylong inception workshop for the integrated pest management project at the
Kairaba Beach Hotel.
The
forum was funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation which provided D20.4
million to support the Ministry of Agriculture for the integrated pest
management on the whitefly.
Speaking
on the occasion, Sheriffo Bojang, deputy minister of Agriculture, said that the
Ministry of Agriculture is “exceedingly proud and pleased” to hail the noble
initiative that FAO has taken to collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to
salvage The Gambia from the attack of whiteflies.
“This
is the first proposal to control whiteflies on large scale in The Gambia,” he
said. “It is consistent with the
country’s medium term plans on poverty reduction and food security.”
According
to him, whiteflies, particularly the spiraling whiteflies, are alien pests in
The Gambia but their population is currently massive and their spread has
reached an undesirable proportion that appropriate action should be taken
against them.
The
FAO country representative, Mariatou Njie-Faal, said whiteflies originated from
Central America and the Caribbean but they are now widespread in West Africa.
She
said the effects of whiteflies are devastating on fruit trees, vegetables and
ornamental plants; they could result in economic loss to farmers and
communities.
The
FAO official said whiteflies threaten the livelihood and food security of
communities.
Madam
Njie-Faal pointed out that the whitefly infestation in the West Coast and North
Bank regions of The Gambia is already reaching significant proportion.
“There
is high risk of the insect pest spreading to new locations in The Gambia and to
neighboring countries if preventive measures are not swiftly put in place,” she
said.
During
the 2004-2005 locust invasion in The Gambia, FAO supported the Ministry of Agriculture
to deliver plant protection services by providing equipment, vehicles and hired
aircraft to control the locusts.
Most
recently, the agency supported the strengthening of the national phyto-sanitary
capacity of The Gambia.
