Ministry of Agriculture to commence “Operation Plant Back’ next month

Three months after leveling nearly 300 acres of banana farms, the government is ready to peel out up to $130,000 in banana plants for the next phase of the revival of the banana industry.{{more}}

Beginning June 1, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries and Industry, will officially commence “Operation Plant Back”, replanting about 120.7 acres of the farm lands leveled by agriculture officials and farmers, in their bid to contain the Black Sigatoka disease.

Operation Cut Back, the destruction of infected and abandoned fields, which began in March this year, was declared a success by Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar, even though there is still work to be done on about 200 more acres.

At this point, Caesar, who was addressing a press conference on Tuesday, at the ministry’s conference room, said that the emphasis would be placed on the replanting programme, which is expected to take the banana industry to new levels, if implemented correctly.

“It is of paramount importance if bananas are to play a significant role in the agriculture sector, and to the rural and national economies… it has to be done very scientifically; it has to be carefully studied, and that has taken place. Significant study and work has gone into the process and into the program of Operation Plant Back over the last few weeks.”

“The new Jaffa tissue plants were recently imported in May. Eighteen thousand tissue culture plants are available for distribution from the bio-technology unit. Uptake of these plants has been very slow to date; however we expect that the uptake of the plants will increase when Operation Plant Back is officially launched.”

Over 60,000 plants were imported for the replanting process, at a cost of US$50,000, which will be absorbed by the government.

This will be complemented by thirty-five to 40,000 local tissue cultured plants, whose cost will be subsidized.

Caesar highlighted the number of farmers, acreage and locations on which the initial stage of the program will commence, and stated that farmers are to pay close attention to information disseminated to them by the agricultural officials concerning the replanting.

He pointed out that a total of 78 farmers from 16 areas are expected to replant 93,600 banana plants on 120.7 acres of farm land, within a one month period.

According to the minister, a second phase of the operation is expected to take place in August.

Caesar said that a series of consultations held with farmers, at which the problems affecting the industry, as well as possible solutions were discussed, went well, and the opportunity was taken to encourage the farmers to remain focused.

“We have to be resolute on the way forward; we are overcomers, there are many farmers who would have suffered directly from (Hurricane) Tomas; they would have suffered from Moko; they would have suffered from the Black Leaf Spot, and they are not discouraged.”

“I don’t want farmers at all to look back. We have a very important industry; we have a rural economy that we have to continue to build, and the farmers of this country continue to form the backbone of the growth of the rural economy of this country.”(JJ)