A citrus disease known as Huanglongbing (Yellow Dragon Disease), HLB or Citrus Greening that has killed and destroyed more than 100 million trees worldwide and cost growers billions of dollars, has been detected in Trinidad & Tobago.
Huanglongbing has been identified in more than 40 countries including Brazil, Florida’s main rival in the global orange juice business. It was so damaging to Florida’s citrus crops that in 2003, the US classified the bacteria that caused it as a bioterror tool.
President of the Cooperative Citrus Growers Association (CCGA) of T&T Felix Clarke said Yellow Dragon Disease can wipe out T&T’s citrus industry in a short period of time if measures are not put in place to manage the disease.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian, Clarke said “Six weeks ago I made a report to The Ministry of Agriculture’s Research Division to report a sighting of Huanglongbing in the country and, to date, nothing has happened.
“Last week I went to the agricultural services at the St Augustine nursery to speak to the director with respect to the disease and unfortunately did not meet her but was told by the officers that they knew nothing about the disease, nobody reported it to them.
“So they’re sitting on a problem that has the potential to destroy the remaining citrus crops in the country.” He said Florida, one of the largest citrus producers in the world, had also experienced a significant decline in production because of Huanglongbing and other diseases such as Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) and citrus canker.
source: guadian.co.tt
