Uniform pest policy suggested for Caricom

Uniform pest policy suggested for Caricom    Member nations of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) should develop a common policy for dealing with agricultural pests to reduce related costs and optimize scientific expertise.
   That is the advice proposed by a United Nations official speaking at a symposium on Invasive Species at the 42nd annual general meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society (CFCS) this week in Puerto Rico.
   Dr. G.V. Pollard, plant protection officer of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) sub-regional office in Barbados.
   If Caricom nations worked together on the potentially costly problem, they could avoid duplications, inconsistencies and disputes among their respective national agencies, and make optimal use of resources and information exchanges needed to effectively combat Alien Invasive Species (AIS).
   He also warned the negative economic impact of such species should not be underestimated.
   He pointed to Jamaica, where the impact of Black Sigatoka on banana and plantain crops means 27 percent of production costs go toward related control efforts, at an expense of $240 per hectare of land for chemicals. He added Black Sigatoka can now be found in several Caribbean countries.
   He told the symposium there are 23 invasive species in the Caribbean that could pose major threats to agricultural production.