FAO plant specialist to support Agriculture Ministry in weed control
- Minister Persaud hopeful of early design, implementation

Georgetown, GINA, January 9, 2008

The Ministry of Agriculture has taken a further step to curb the problem of weeds and pesticides which often present major challenges to Guyana’s drainage and irrigation system.
            The Ministry has invited Weed and Plant Protection Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) Ricardo Labrada Romero assess and design a control programme and today he met Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud at his Regent Street Office. Director of the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) Odhu Homenath also participated in the discussions.
            His work in Guyana will include tackling among other things, the antelope grass which Minister Persaud explained, has cost government more than $700M to clear from drains and canals.
            “When the project gets off I do hope that it will aid in that effort of better water management and also at the same time, we can look at other problems we encounter not only in canals but in other areas… I look forward to an early completion of your project design and implementation,” Minister Persaud told Mr. Romero.    
  

            The project is one which Minister Persaud said has attracted the interest and patronage of Head of State President Jagdeo who is also eager to see technology being utilised as a control method.
            A staff of the Ministry recently returned from China with a wealth of knowledge in various methods of weed control and will be aiding the Ministry in its efforts.
            “We do manual cleaning and we make full use of our excavators, but we have to look at new ways and benefist from research and science out there that can deal with the problem of weeds,” Minister Persaud noted.
            The specialist expressed his eagerness to start the project as well as explore new initiatives such as the implementation of biological or non-chemical control methods to prevent environmental harm.
            He added that he also intends to propose some measures that can contribute to better productivity of Guyana’s irrigation channels as well as other aspects of drainage and irrigation.  
            During his tenure in Guyana he will be working along with the Pesticide and Control Board, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO).
            The use of manatees has in the past been one of a number of biological control methods used in Guyana. This method has been widely suggested in the Caribbean and other parts of the world.

 

more bulletins