04 August 2023, Jamaica: The CABI BioProtection Portal is now available in Jamaica to help local growers reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and produce safer and healthier food. Products on the site can fight a range of crop pests, such as the fall armyworm on maize, coffee berry borer on coffee and plantain weevil on coffee, more sustainably.
Jamaica, a CABI Member Country, becomes the 40th country to join the open-access tool which is helping thousands of users across the globe identify suitable biocontrol and biopesticide products to manage their plant pests and raise awareness about alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Currently, the recently re-launched faster and easier-to-use CABI BioProtection Portal includes 10 registered biocontrol and biopesticide products to tackle pests in Jamaica. These include the scarab beetle, vegetable weevil, two-spotted spider mite and citrus mealybug.
CABI’s CEO Dr Daniel Elger, Dr Qiaoqiao Zhang, Memberships Director and Mr Naitram (Bob) Ramnanan, CABI’s Regional Representative for the Caribbean Delegation, joined representatives of Jamaica’s Pesticide Control Authority, its Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining (MAFM) and its Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to celebrate the launch of the CABI Bioprotection Portal at RADA in Jamaica on 17 July.
Dr Elger and Dr Zhang were visiting MAFM and RADA as part of a visit to Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana to strengthen partnerships and help safeguard food security and biodiversity in the Caribbean countries.
Ms Tamara Morrison, Registrar, Pesticide Control Authority (PCA), Jamaica, welcomed guests to the launch which also included Mr Warren Newby, Chairman, PCA, Mr Orville Palmer, Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Mr Winston Simpson, CEO, RADA, Mrs Marina Young, Principal Director of Technical Services, RADA and Ms Nashima Davis, Technical Services Coordinator, Permanent Secretary’s Office.
“Ensuring a safe and secure food supply is a priority for Jamaica. Reducing reliance on hazardous pesticides for crop protection is an important step.
“We are, therefore, delighted to be the 40th country to join CABI BioProtection Portal, which will provide our farmers and their advisors with information on registered biological plant protection products and how to obtain and apply them,” said Ms Tamara Morrison, Registrar, Pesticide Control Authority, Jamaica.
Dr Elger said, “Our Member Countries in the Caribbean played a key role in the creation of CABI’s new Medium-Term Strategy for 2023-2025 and we are working in partnership with these Members to achieve our shared goals.
“Continuing engagement with stakeholders across the region is critical as we seek to work together on improving food security and smallholder farmers’ livelihoods, providing new opportunities for rural women and youth, safeguarding biodiversity and supporting adaptation to climate change.
“I am pleased that smallholder farmers, their families and communities in Jamiaca and the wider Caribbean region are benefiting from CABI’s support through PlantwisePlus and digital tools, which are increasingly important in the fight against crop pests and diseases.”
“In this respect, the inclusion of Jamaica in the CABI BioProtection Portal is an important and welcome milestone.”
Since its launch in 2020, the Portal has seen over a million visits – indicating that more and more growers and plant health advisors are benefitting from the portal.
Bioprotection products also help growers meet export and market standards and reduce pressure on the environment, which is already affected by other factors including climate change.
The CABI BioProtection Portal displays over 4,000 bioprotection products covering more than 900 crops and 2,200 pests in the 40 countries featured. Additionally, the site includes vital information for growers who want to learn more about biocontrol, including how to identify, apply and store bioprotection products.
The CABI BioProtection Portal is growing, with over 30 partners, sponsors, associates and donors, such as Biobest, Koppert, Syngenta, Rainforest Alliance and Mondelez. For the full list of our members, visit our members page.
