IN AN effort to prevent the spread of the deadly Moko disease, which primarily attacks banana and plantain, the Ministry of Agriculture has developed a number of safeguard measures to be implemented at this year's Denbigh Agricultural Show.
Accordingly, persons attending the Show, which will be hosted between July 31 and August 2, will be barred from selling, displaying and otherwise using any parts of plantain or banana plants from St. James; the only parish that has been confirmed to have the disease, since March of this year. This prohibition also applies to heliconia from that parish, with the exception of heliconia cut flowers, as this plant is also a host of the disease.
The ministry warns that any of these prohibited materials brought to the Show will be confiscated and destroyed by the Ministry's Plant Quarantine Inspectors, in accordance with provisions of the Moko Disease Order, enacted in April of this year, to facilitate the eradication of the disease.
COOPERATION ENCOURAGED
To prevent such action the Ministry is encouraging all exhibitors and participants to cooperate with this latest move to contain the spread of the disease, which also affects red ginger, tomato, dasheen and coco.
The disease has been detected in five areas in St. James - Montpelier, George's Valley, Silver Grove, Vaughnsfield and Brown's Town.
