FAO Sub regional Coordinator, Dr. JR Deep Ford, positively assessed in a meeting with Cuban Ambassador to Barbados, Francisco Fernández Peña, support of Cuban government to the program in progress to confront the Black Sigatoka in the Caribbean countries. At the moment the Cuban expert, Dr. Luis Pérez-Vicente, makes a working tour through banana plantations of 5 OECS members countries that have been affected by this disease, as part of a technical assistance financed with funds from the sub regional FAO office, based in Barbados. The specialist at the National Institute of Plant Health Research (INISAV) of the Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba is visiting St. Lucia, Dominica, Granada, Guyana and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, following up on the action plan implemented by FAO in 2013 under his advice to combat the disease, in order to review and evaluate the results achieved and further eventual measures to be taken as part of this program.
Dr. Ford said the timing of these actions, which will be evaluated in the next Inter-sessional Conference of CARICOM, held in The Bahamas, with the presence of Caribbean leaders and the Director General of FAO. In this context, the Cuban Ambassador ratified its government will and the scientific capacities of his country to participate in this scope of cooperation, as a modest contribution to economic and social development of sisters nations from Eastern Caribbean.