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Following the severe impact of Fusarium disease on sugarcane fields, the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) has begun rolling out an intervention package to help mitigate the damage for future crops. The SICB began its first set of interventions on Wednesday, applying fungicide to selected cane fields in northern Belize. The interventions are being supported by a half-million-dollar grant from the government to assist the sugar industry’s recovery. Marcos Osario, Chairman of the SICB, says that the board has developed an intervention package to be rolled out to farmers, which is heavily subsidized through the government grant.
Marcos Osario, Chairman, SICB: “Fusarium, as it’s known anywhere in the world, is a devastating disease, particularly the Fusarium saccari which is what has been proven to be the main pathogen of a complex of pathogens that are affecting our sugar industry. The Fusarium saccari is one of the most devastating ones from the family of Fusariums. So as a result of that, we have developed a package for the management and control of fusarium. Unfortunately due to the presently we are experiencing a low price, a drop in prices of sugar in the export market and as a result of that, then there is a major issue which has to do with cash flow, farmer cash flow. The crop finish and the farmers need to wait five weeks after the end of the crop for them to get a second payment, which will see a boost in terms of farmers actions in terms of managing their cain fields and particularly to make some invest in management of fusarium. But as a result of the present crisis, government have provided half a million dollars to the industry for the implementation of a pilot project to manage Fusarium and the target there is for us to manage, to implement the management package for Fusarium in 2,300 acres of cane fields. Primarily we are targeting those fields that were harvested from six weeks to the end of the crop. That is to say, at the most six weeks up to the end of the crop or the last six weeks of harvest. What we do there, it is something unusual in terms of the farmer’s practices because it requires several interventions and this part primarily has to do with going in to do a first treatment with a fungicide, which is basically to contain or reduce the spores population in field. We allow 15 days after the fungicide application to then go in and do the first application of biological agents.”
Osario says that Fusarium disease is a problem for sugar-producing countries all over the world, and since the disease cannot be eradicated, countries have to do their best to manage the outbreak.
Marcos Osario, Chairman, SICB: “The package that we have developed. And I must say that the package that we have developed is based on science, is based on experiences in other countries that have been battling with for fusarium and sugar cane for decades. And I can mention that India has been fighting fusarium for over a hundred years now. And what I mean with that is that, or what I want to say is that fusarium is a disease that once you have it or you have the presence of it, you cannot eradicate it. We are unable to eradicate for fusarium. So it is a matter of managing, controlling so that we are still able to continue producing. The good in all of this, and I must say and make emphasis in this as as a technical person, I see good in this in terms of that we will or all our interventions will be centered around natural solutions or what we may term biological control injecting back or putting back into the soil all those microorganisms that we have destroyed from the practices we have been doing over decades.”
Prime Minister John Briceno, while celebrating his 65th birthday yesterday, visited various sugarcane fields in Orange Walk to see the application of fungicide. He was joined by Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai.
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