Over 50 Phytosanitary Experts: From the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)…Nairobi on Monday to Strategize Strategies for enabling the detection of Banana Pests

By Abdul Rahman Bangura-

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone– Convened by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the meeting gears to notify the early warning, detection and response to the potential detection of Fusarium Oxysporum Cubense Tropical Race 4, a banana pest.

Hamisi Williams – Deputy Country Representative of the FAO in Kenya, noted the banana pest has the proclivity to cause vital financial losses, threaten food security and disrupt local and international trade. “Banana is one of the leading staple foods in some COMESA member nations, and its threat could result in increased food insecurity in a region that is perennially food deficient,” Williams said.

He beckoned for rejuvenating emergency preparedness capacity in the COMESA region to enable to prevent and retain the banana pest, underscoring that, a regional approach is crucial to minimizing the threats posed by the pest.

Paul Rono – Principal Secretary in Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, remarked the administration has intensified action on banana pests to protect the livelihoods of 200,000 smallholder banana growers in the nation.

The Nairobi meeting is part of the “FAO support to COMESA trade facilitation program” poised to enable trade facilitation within the bloc, with delegates anticipated to develop steps stopping the spread of banana pests across the African Landmass.

New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports, Africa Correspondent