Black Sigatoka being monitored as export demand for plantains rises

Spraying a Tuschen farm (GINA photo, February 2010)

While the spread of the leaf spot disease Black Sigatoka is being monitored by the authorities, its impact on other Caribbean territories has seen an increase in demand for plantains from the local market.

The Ministry of Agricul-ture (MoA) said recently that tests which were sent to the United Kingdom last year to determine the presence of the disease, have confirmed that it is present in local plantain and banana plants.

The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) said recently via the Agriculture Minis-try that the results from