Over 10 Extension Officers have received first-hand knowledge from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Pest Management Unit on the existing Croton Scale Disease that is now causing damage to farmers’ crops and livelihoods.
The Northern Agricultural District is being recognised as the last of the four districts to be affected by the Croton Scale Insect, as there have been earlier reports of damaging effects in other parts of the island.
In light of this, one affected area in Marli St. Patrick, the farm of Mr. Hugh Curry, one of the largest soursop plots on the island, prompted the Pest Management Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture to engage in a field training for extension officers.
These officers were exposed to information that would now put them in a position to properly identify the insect, and offer effective advice to affected farmers.
With an all-hands-on-deck approach by the Ministry, Extension Officers, being exposed to the signs and symptoms of the pest, can now aid the Pest Management Unit in effectively mitigating the impacts of the croton scale.
The Croton Scale is identified as a greenish-yellow, oval-shaped, soft-bodied, sucking insect that affects plants like Croton and crops like Soursop, Guava, Mango, Plums, with Soursop feeling the brunt of it.
Extension Officers were educated on pruning techniques, as it is proven to be an effective means to controlling the pest, and the use of pesticides, and horticultural oils for the eradication of the sooty mold (black blight).
The Ministry of Agriculture has invested in the formation of field teams that are dispersed across the island each day to offer assistance to affected farmers.
