(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     At a time when countries the world over are developing strategies to deal with the challenges brought on by rising food prices and the real threat of food shortage, Caribbean Plant Health officials will meet this week and among the issues to engage their attention is the issue of positioning themselves to positively contribute to the issue of rising food prices.

 
In this inaugural meeting, Regional Plant Health officials from across the Caribbean are expected to engage in discussions on issues of access to and availability of food. They will strategize on how to formulate the movement of plant and plant products across Caribbean countries. They will meet at the CARICOM Secretariat headquarters in Guyana 23-25 April 2008. The meeting is being hosted by the Secretariat in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and CIRAD
 
“There is tremendous potential for trade in plant and plant products in the Caribbean but the issue of plant pests is one which poses serious constraints to that potential for trade.  Therefore the focus is on seeking to find solutions for more effective prevention, management and control strategies for pest threats in the Region,” said Ms Margaret Kalloo, Deputy Programmer Manager for Agriculture at the CARICOM Secretariat.
 
She added that while countries are seeking to improve availability and access to food, countries need to be enabled to “more efficiently and effectively move agricultural products across the borders of the Caribbean countries.”
 
In this regard the issue of invasive species will be on the front burner as these continue to negatively impact on trade in plant and plant products in the Caribbean. In the not too distant past Caribbean countries were faced with an outbreak of Pink Hibiscus Mealybug (PHMB) which devastated crops such as okras, papaya and sorrel. The countries have also had to deal with infestations of Fruit Flies which impact on the export of most fruits. The outbreak of Black Sigatoka continues to be a source of concern for banana producers.
 
 
Currently, Caribbean countries are faced with a serious attack on palms, including coconut trees with the outbreak of the Red Palm Mite.  This has adversely affected the domestic trade in and national consumption of coconut water as prices have increased as a result of decreased production.
 
A proposal to deal with the issue of Invasive Species will be presented to the meeting.