 Good day again viewers and welcome to the program agriculture honor the move. I am Philip Sidney your host. As we have said from this time onward, we are having programs leading into World Food Day which is on the 16th of October. However, in December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2020 as the International Plant Health. And the theme protect plants, protect life. With me is Hannah Dupal-Romein who is the chief plant research officer in the research division attached to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Cooperatives. Welcome Miss Romaine and thank you for being on the program. Thank you Mr Sidney for having me. Hannah, tell me something. Tell Saint Lucia what is plant life or plant health? Okay, good morning viewers. Plant health, so much to say about plant health. But with regards to the international year of plant health that this year 2020 we will be focusing on. We will be looking at basically how pests and diseases can affect the natural functioning of plants. We know that plants are living things and they grow and they produce food for us. In fact, we are aware that 80% of the food that we depend on comes from plants. And when we speak to plant health, we look at all of the organisms that can come together and destroy the health of plants or destroy the potential of plants to bear fruit or fruit that is wholesome fruits that can be marketable or whatever food it is that it is able to be marketed. So why this year 2020 was chosen? The entire year as the year of plant health. Very good question. Over the years we have seen that there has been an increase in the movement of people of goods and of course in 2018 when the year was declared by United Nations as the international year of plant health, the goal was to really sensitize the people as to the impact of moving plant material food from country to country in trade. How it can have devastating impact on food security. It can have devastating impact on poverty and economic stability. What we have seen over the years that persons tend to move around plant material. However, there is not a way that they are also moving plant pathogens which can cause diseases in plants. So we have seen over the years that St. Lucia is no escape to this situation. We saw over the years that we had incursions of several pest and diseases coming into St. Lucia and no one knew how they came in. But we are aware that it was brought in and pests generally do not have any borders. They don't carry no passports but they come in. So what you find is that during trade moving people you find that persons tend to move with pathogens on the crops and plants that they are moving and this can have devastating impacts on our economy and plant health and the United Nations also with the support of the International Plant Protection Convention. They realize that there is a really great need to have the international public away. How important it is to protect the health of plants because this is where our food comes from and not just our food. We are aware that the oxygen that we bring in on a daily basis really and truly comes from plants. So therefore what is in place as far as plant quarantine is concerned to prevent the movement of pests from one country to the next? What is in place for this? Okay so what we have over the years is that persons we have been encouraging persons to ensure that when they are moving plant or plant products that whatever they are moving admits the phytosanitary requirements of the country. So in other words if you are taking any plant material into St. Lucia you need to ensure that you contact the Ministry of Agriculture Plant Protection Unit to inform them that you are moving a particular plant or plant product. They will conduct a risk assessment. This risk assessment really assists the Ministry in deciding as to whether we should allow you to bring in that plant material. So if this plant material may be a host to several pest species you may not be given the authorization to do so. However if it may be a pest that can be managed or it may be a pest that we perhaps can ask you to conduct some phytosanitary treatment to that commodity we may allow you to bring it in under certain conditions. So there is what you call an import permit. This permit allows you or gives you the permission to bring in that plant material. Also the country where you bring in this commodity from, this country needs to provide you with what you call a phytosanitary certificate. What this certificate says is that the plant product or commodity that you bring it in is free from pests. By this way you are trying to ensure that you exclude pests and diseases from your country. Also we are also encouraging persons who are moving machinery. There may be soil attached to the machinery. It isn't critical that you wash out the machinery. Tires, use tires, it's very important that you clean out used tires because you may be moving pathogens on the soil that may be added to it. Or you may have hitchhiker pests like take for example snails. The giant African snail could have come in as a hitchhiker on containers, who knows on machinery. So it's always important that you ensure that you clean out those equipices of equipment before you can bring them into the country. Okay, very good. In other words, all you're trying to do is protect plant health. And of course us too, people. That's correct because this is where our food comes from. And this is why we encourage the general public to come on board and help protect the source of your food as you are well away when during COVID-19. And we are still in the period of course we are being asked to be more vigilant and to ensure that you wash hands. Similarly, it's important to protect plant health. I mean human health is important, but plant health is equally important. I could say that human health and plant health are inextricably linked because if the plants provide food for humans, then it's obvious that we need to have good or healthy plants to ensure that there are healthy humans or we are healthy. So we saw the relationship between COVID-19 and of course plant health because we realized that during the COVID-19 we saw there was an increased demand for food. And persons had to know how to grow their own food, especially countries which depended heavily on imported foods, realized that they... Hold that point because we'll do for our first break. You're watching every country on the move. Stay tuned and we'll be back soon. Don't go away. I am life. I am home to millions. And I sustain millions more. My abundance brings prosperity while my scarcity can be deadly. I cover much of the earth and my influence extends far beyond. I have been around for longer than you can imagine, but my world is threatened. People need to take notice and do more to secure my future because I am worth protecting. Your health lies on my health. Your life lies on mine. I am plants. I am life. Welcome back to the program Agriculture on the Move with Ms. Hannah Romain. She is the chief plant research officer in the Department of Agriculture. Hannah has been speaking about plant health and we also want to know how the public can be involved because at the end of the day, plant health impacts human beings because we consume the plants that are being produced. So how can we as people get involved in the whole scenario of plant health? Very interesting. Thank you, Mr. Sidney. Of course, we are encouraging the public to get involved because over the years, we have seen that persons growing crops, farmers, backyard gardeners, we have seen that they do have challenges with pests and diseases affecting their crops. However, we urge them to please utilize the integrated management practices that we at the Ministry of Agriculture have. Over the years, we have been encouraging them to use. Persons tend to move towards pesticides and this should not be the last resort, I should say, because we know that pesticides can be very destructive to the natural fauna and flora. And over the years, we do have insects which serve as pollinators and not just pollinators, they also serve as natural enemies. They can serve as enemies to get rid of the pests that are affecting their crops. I mean, there was an example there with the pink millibug, you're brought in the beetle, right? Certainly, certainly. I think it was in 2000 and in 1997, sorry, that's correct. When we saw the incursion of the pink millibug and we saw rightfully, most of the gardeners at the hotels, they complained of how the flowers changed. They had this white millibug attached to it. And of course, the beauty of the flower was taken away. And we had to import what we call the beetles and wasps to come in and parasitize those, because chemicals at the time was not working. And we had to find some integrated approach to managing that pest. And we saw how successful the millibug was eliminated, or not just totally eliminated, but the population was reduced. Because this is something that I should also highlight is that when you bring in a new pest into a country, it is very difficult to eradicate it. It's very expensive to manage it. And what you find is that the cost of production of any commodity that you have to manage a pest in, it goes up. So this is very critical. This is why we encourage the public to ensure that they use the integrated management approach. Do not bring in any plant material without having addressed it or reaching out to the Ministry of Agriculture. And of course, in addition to the natural enemies that we spoke to earlier, I should say that there are also plants that serve as barriers for pests. They provide this, what you call allelopathic properties. So they sense they prevent other destructive insects from coming to your crops. So all of those are different methods that you can use to reduce on the impact of pests on your crops. Definitely. In fact, let's go back a bit when we spoke about the invasion of the giant African snail. It was costly for us to, at least it was not eliminated. We still have it, but it has reduced considerably. And I don't think the economic impact on plants is not that severe, but it was costly. And that is why I think we need to get people educated in that they should not bring in any plant and plant parts into this island. And you are correct, Mr. Sidney, because what you do see is that once there is an initial incursion of a pest, the population of that pest spikes because the natural enemies on the ground would not be aware that there is a new pest on the ground. So this gives the pest sufficient time to mass produce and the population explodes. And then you find that there is the heavy destruction in our natural flora. Also, we saw this when the red palm mites came into St. Lucia and it affected the coconuts. We saw that most of our coconut trees, they looked yellow and they were all dying out because when this mite came in, the natural enemies were not aware of the presence. However, as time went by, we saw that the situation changed. So you now can appreciate your green coconut trees. This is because the natural enemies that are already in the environment can't take care of the pest significantly. And this is why it's important to ensure that you preserve your natural enemies and pesticides do not protect the pest. Well, this is exactly where I'm going through because yes, so give a little highlight on the harsh chemicals that are being used and that we should try and get farmers, likewise other people in the backyards, to try and reduce the use of harsh chemicals. You see, Sidney, over the years what we've been trying to have farmers not just reduce on harsh chemicals. Of course, we've been advocating for alternative methods of controlling pests. However, the pesticides that have been used cannot be used consistently. What we have indicated to the farmers is that at some point the insects themselves can build this form of resistance. So perhaps a particular pesticide which has worked over the years may not work for the same pest that you may have been treating or using it on for some time because of the resistance that it poses. So this is why we encourage farmers to use alternative methods of protecting the crops. And this is very critical because you also waste in the chemical, also it is not safe for the plant or for you as a human being. And the other thing too, you mentioned the other pests like for example the pollinated bees. You realize our bees population has reduced considerably and that has brought and shut up the cost of honey. Certainly, of course our crops, most of our crops are pollinated crops and the bees play a very significant role in pollination. And also the bees forage in areas where there are wild plants and if we continue to use herbicides in those areas, we are only destroying the bees. And of course we are destroying a major industry like the bee, the honey industry. And there'll also be a reduction in the production of sea tomatoes, melons, etc. because you do not have the bees to actually pollinate those crops. So we need to educate our farmers and plant health and also preserving life is important with you for another break. You're watching our Culturally Moved. Don't go away. We have a lot in store for you. Banana farmers remember me? I destroyed the Grumichel banana variety some years ago. Now my cousin, Tropical Race 4 or TR4, a fusarium-willed banana disease is on the horizon in a more aggressive form and can wipe out the banana industry in a flash. Be vigilant. Don't bring any banana plants or plant tissue into the island. Report any unusual symptoms on your banana plots to the Department of Agriculture at telephone 468-5600 or the Extension Officer in your area. Remember, protect our vital banana industry. After hurricane, sustaining life and health is most important. We should take heed. Don't drink from any stagnant ponds and pools or directly from drums and outside storage containers. If however no other choice is available and you must drink this water, use 8 drops of bleach in each gallon of clear water or boil your drinking water for about 10 minutes. Use food that require little to no cooking or refrigeration such as salted biscuits and canned foods. Use preservation methods for keeping refrigerated foods safe to eat by salting, curing and drying. Discard all perishable foods that have been in the refrigerator for more than two hours. And remember, once in doubt, throw out. This is the hurricane season and we should be prepared. A message brought to you by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives. Welcome back to the programme. Hannah, I know this year as we said is international plant health. I'm sure there are a lot of activities, but however, I know a lot of the activities were curtailed by COVID. But tell us some of the activities that you have planned out in St. Lucia. Certainly, you are correct, Mr Sidney. Of course, when the year started off, we had some great plans and we saw that COVID-19 would have changed most of the plans that we have in terms of how we would want to deliver them. So some of the activities went virtually. So thus far, what we have had is that the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, they supported the Ministry of Agriculture in implementation of what you call the fighter sanitary capacity evaluation tool. So this tool, which is provided by the International Plant Protection Convention, is really to support the plant health unit to improve the fighter sanitary capacity. In this way, we can improve plant health and also we can, in terms of regulation of how plant commodities move in and out of the country to ensure that this is in accordance with international regulations. Also, in terms of market access, ensuring that we are able to meet particular markets, because you know that pests can create restrictions, can pose restrictions on food going to other markets. I mean, we have an example there, the banana subabidas. Certainly, and this is as a result of a pest, you know. And again, this is plant health, and this is why we have been working with the farmers to ensure that they meet all of the requirements, the measures that are put in place to ensure that they are not moving a pest into another country. So this was one of the activities that we had, the fighter sanitary capacity evaluation tool, which had to take place virtually for the first time. Also, we had the Food and Agriculture Organization funding through a letter of agreement of CAFSA, the Caribbean Agriculture Health and Food Safety Agency. We had what you call this tool being executed with support from our dear colleagues in Jamaica, our consultant was from Jamaica. Also, we had FAO provided training on TR4. So over the years, you would have heard quite a lot on the TR4. It's a major disease affecting bananas. It's currently in Colombia, and we know that it's impact on bananas. And we know that bananas is a commodity that is very dear to us. And we have been working with the FAO. We actually said NUSHA is one of the recipients of the technical cooperation project. And we've received training for the past few months, virtually, and ensuring that we keep the space out, because exclusion is the most important thing for us right now, because there is no form of control for this disease. And we cannot, there is no cure for the disease. Also, on the 13th of October 2020, we will see a tree planting program, which will take place at the national agricultural facility, diagnostic facility at Union. So at that facility, we will be doing, we'll be planting trees in commemoration of the year. And also, we will have this opportunity to work through the new labs, the new plant health labs, the newly built plant health labs. Your diagnostic facility. That's correct. And this facility came in in very good time. So this is a time where the Ministry of Agriculture has seen the need to improve on market access. We realize that trade facilitation is a very big issue now, and we need to ensure that food gets to the country on time, and that we are able to do diagnostic work with regard to pests and diseases. Take, for example, if a commodity comes into St. Lucia, and we are not aware as to what are the pests associated with it. The time it will take to send the specimen over to the US or other countries, we are now able to do it right here at the diagnostic facility. And of course, we are able to do other things in terms of the maximum residual limits in terms of the use of pesticides on foods. Now, we are able to ensure that farmers do not use pesticides that are toxic. And of course, we can monitor the use of pesticides on foods if we are able to look at the maximum residual limits on particular commodities. So the new diagnostic facility has done that. And we will take this opportunity to take a walk through that facility just to commemorate the international year of plant health. There are other activities that are planned in terms of visit to the schools and visit to the health centers, because we really want everybody on board in protecting plants. Plants, we need to protect them. They are important for our health. They are important for food security. They are important for economic stability. They are very important. Eleviate poverty. Eleviating poverty. And also to look at our nutrition systems. That's correct. That's correct. So the health of the plants is very critical to the health of us humans. And I'm thinking here, the plants or the diagnosis facility will be looking at soil testing. And we talk about hazardous material toxic to the soil. Certainly. And we have been doing soil testing over the years, ensuring that the soils that the farmers grow in has the right nutrition. The status is appropriate. It's adequate in terms of the elements that they carry, the nitrogen, the phosphorus, the potassium, the micronutrients that they are in a level that will support the growth of the plant. And of course the pH. So we have been doing that over the years. And of course we are going to enhance it, of course, with the new diagnostic facility to ensure that, of course, even the use of the pesticides that you mentioned, that the soils are not contaminated. So all of that work will be done at the new diagnostic facility. So in closing, let's look at integrated pest management shortly. Tell St. Lucien, what is that? Okay. So integrated pest management really deals with any measure that we can use to protect the plant, the health of the plant. So whether you use, you would like to use, perhaps, using crops or plants that can protect the main crop from pest and diseases. And I can give them some examples, you know, because over the years we've seen that there are crops that have very loud sense. And when you grow them in the garden, they disrupt the pests. They come in there and what they do is that the pests seem to think that the crop is not in there. So it distracts the pests, you know. So the basil is one, for example, if you plant basil around your garden, you may, there's a likelihood you may have less pests, you know. Also, I'm encouraging them to reduce the use of pesticides so that they can encourage the growth of natural enemies, the bees and the wasps and some of the list bugs, all of those assist in managing the pests on your farm. Romain, thank you, because I know we can go on and on and on and there's so much there to discuss with the public. So I just want to thank you for being here. We have come to the end of the program and I hope we'll have a path too, because there's so much to be said. Final words from you? Well, I'm just encouraging everyone to please protect the plants because they are very important, important in keeping us healthy. Thank you very much, Miss Romain. This, of course, is Miss Hannah Romain. She is the chief plant research officer in the Department of Agriculture and, of course, you've been hearing us talking about International Year of Plant Health. Thank you for viewing. Remember, agriculture is our business and eat fresh. St. Lucia's the best. The money stays here and your health is important. Bye. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move.