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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - Efforts to control the spread of the Leaf
Spot or the Yellow Sigatoka Disease is expected to be intensified, in order to
avert a repeat of the losses the disease caused to the industry last year, and
earlier in 2004.
This commitment came out of a recent meeting involving the Ministry of
Agriculture, together with the directors of local banana shipping companies and
the Windward Islands Banana Exporting Company (WIBDECO).
The Chief Executive Officer of WIBDECO, Mr. Bernard Cornibert said the Disease
was a burning issue, occupying the attention of stakeholders at all levels of
the industry.
“Towards the back end of last year and coming into the beginning of this year we
had a leaf spot problem, which cost the industry a lot of money in particular,
WIBDECO. We have had to bear the brunt of the cost and it is in the interest of
all of us to try to avoid a similar situation from happening this year”, Mr.
Cornibert said.
He further explained that the leaf spot fungus severely limited the production
levels of bananas, aggravating an already acute cash flow problem in the
industry, particularly the availability of funds to procure inputs.
Mr. Cornibert said, “However, at the beginning of this year when we sustained
all the leaf spot and huge losses, this had a very negative impact on our cash
flow and therefore, when you are faced with that kind of situation you have to
tighten up.
One a brighter note the WIBDECO CEO said that there had been a gradual
improvement in the area of procurement of supplies for farmers.
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