THE JAMAICA Producers Group (JPG), the management of Eastern Banana Estates and the Research Unit of the Banana Board have identified a number of plants on the estate that are infected with the moko bacteria.
The Estate, with the advice of the Research Unit, has instituted an eradication programme and has also increased its monitoring and surveillance to prevent the spread of the disease, according to a news release.
It also said the management at St. Mary Bananas would be monitoring its farms to ensure the early identification of any further infestation.
According to Dr. Marshall Hall, JPG's managing director, moko is a common occurrence in a number of banana exporting countries which have successfully managed the disease. "The challenges for our estates and the Jamaica banana industry is for everyone to carry out the disciplines necessary to contain the disease," he stated.
CONFIRMATION
The moko disease was first confirmed in Jamaica in July this year on five banana farms in St. James. At that time, the Ministry of Agriculture had announced a multi-pronged plan to contain it in order to prevent a devastation of the $2 billion banana industry.
Among the initiatives were for banana farms in several other parishes to be examined and for the affected farms in St. James to be eradicated.
The eradication programme was budgeted at $5 million, but there were concerns that there were not adequate technical personnel to assist with the examination of the banana farms islandwide.
