PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 2:25 PM by Luigi

Banana blight hinders export

By Cheerieann Wilson, Fiji Sun.

Fiji bananas exported to Australia market could prove to be difficult because of the Banana Leaf Streak blight, also known as the Sigatoka disease.

The Agriculture Ministry's director for extension services, Apisai Ucuboi, said this after a concerned traveller said that the country should tap into the market. "It is a very long process that for us to export our bananas overseas and this will first have to be sorted out through the Fiji and Australian quarantine services," he said.

"In the early 60s, banana exports collapsed because of the introduction of the blight, which is still in existence today." Mr Ucuboi said the Central Division alone had a huge production of bananas yearly.

"Most bananas sold in our local markets are immature and have been ripened and sold at the markets and that is one of the disadvantages of the blight which does not allow for the fruit to fully ripen on the bud," he said.

"Fiji would have to go through a lot of consultations with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Services and they requirements that they need in order for Fiji to export bananas to them."

Bananas are sold in Queensland and New South Wales in Australia for as much as $1.90 each. Meanwhile, new varieties of bananas are being screened at the various research stations around the country to find out a suitable variety for marketing purposes overseas.

* Comments:

And a reply from the letters page of the Fiji Times:

Ministry of Agriculture's director for extension services Apisai Ucuboi must be really dreaming when he talks about exporting bananas from Fiji to Australia (FT 27/5) when, in fact, there are not enough bananas for the people of Fiji.

I have been visiting the Sunday vegetable markets and one can get bananas in Queensland for as low as $1.80-kilogram.

There are other countries closer to Australia that can ship better quality bananas to Australia.

The other reason Fiji bananas will never ever enter Australia is because there are numerous quarantine pests in Fiji bananas that Australia does not have. So stop dreaming Mr Ucuboi.

If Mr Ucuboi wants to be productive and do some thing, he must be reminded that many hundreds of millions of dollars of fruit and vegetables are imported into Fiji every year.

He should draw strategies to grow these crops in Fiji. It will assist in food security and improve the living standard of the people.

Large areas of excellent fertile land is lying idle all over the country and if ministry officials cannot see these good crop lands, I can show them the areas.

Crops like carrots, capsicum, lettuce, beans, spinach, cabbages, celery, potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, herbs, rockmelons, rice, maize, watermelons, oranges, lemons, limes-citrus and all tropical fruits can be grown in huge quantities, both for local consumption and export.

I understand he has spent many years of his term as a civil servant researching on these crops at Sigatoka Research Station and it is time now that the taxpayers saw some definite results and not just big talk. The Ministry of Agriculture has had many agricultural development aid projects in the past with hundreds of millions of dollars and all projects have completely failed and funds gone down the drain.

If today the Fiji agriculture ministry were to close up, it would have no effect on agricultural productivity.

Some serious thinking is required whether the ministry is really advancing agriculture.

Agriculture will remain the foundation of Fiji in terms of food security and rural development for a very long time and the Government, especially the new Minister Gyani Nand and State Minister Ratu Josefa Dimuri, both should handle the agriculture sector properly.

# posted by

Luigi : 7:41 PM



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Fiji bananas exported to Australia market could prove to be difficult because of the Banana Leaf Streak blight, also known as the Sigatoka disease. The Agriculture Ministry's director for extension services, Apisai Ucuboi, said this after a concerned traveller said that the country should tap into the market. "It is a very long process that for us to export our bananas overseas and this will first have to be sorted out through the Fiji and Australian quarantine services," he said. "In the early 60s, banana exports collapsed because of the introduction of the blight, which is still in existence today." Mr Ucuboi said the Central Division alone had a huge production of bananas yearly. "Most bananas sold in our local markets are immature and have been ripened and sold at the markets and that is one of the disadvantages of the blight which does not allow for the fruit to fully ripen on the bud," he said. "Fiji would have to go through a lot of consultations with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Services and they requirements that they need in order for Fiji to export bananas to them." Bananas are sold in Queensland and New South Wales in Australia for as much as $1.90 each. Meanwhile, new varieties of bananas are being screened at the various research stations around the country to find out a suitable variety for marketing purposes overseas. * Comments: And a reply from the letters page of the Fiji Times: Ministry of Agriculture's director for extension services Apisai Ucuboi must be really dreaming when he talks about exporting bananas from Fiji to Australia (FT 27/5) when, in fact, there are not enough bananas for the people of Fiji. I have been visiting the Sunday vegetable markets and one can get bananas in Queensland for as low as $1.80-kilogram. There are other countries closer to Australia that can ship better quality bananas to Australia. The other reason Fiji bananas will never ever enter Australia is because there are numerous quarantine pests in Fiji bananas that Australia does not have. So stop dreaming Mr Ucuboi. If Mr Ucuboi wants to be productive and do some thing, he must be reminded that many hundreds of millions of dollars of fruit and vegetables are imported into Fiji every year. He should draw strategies to grow these crops in Fiji. It will assist in food security and improve the living standard of the people. Large areas of excellent fertile land is lying idle all over the country and if ministry officials cannot see these good crop lands, I can show them the areas. Crops like carrots, capsicum, lettuce, beans, spinach, cabbages, celery, potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, herbs, rockmelons, rice, maize, watermelons, oranges, lemons, limes-citrus and all tropical fruits can be grown in huge quantities, both for local consumption and export. I understand he has spent many years of his term as a civil servant researching on these crops at Sigatoka Research Station and it is time now that the taxpayers saw some definite results and not just big talk. The Ministry of Agriculture has had many agricultural development aid projects in the past with hundreds of millions of dollars and all projects have completely failed and funds gone down the drain. If today the Fiji agriculture ministry were to close up, it would have no effect on agricultural productivity. Some serious thinking is required whether the ministry is really advancing agriculture. Agriculture will remain the foundation of Fiji in terms of food security and rural development for a very long time and the Government, especially the new Minister Gyani Nand and State Minister Ratu Josefa Dimuri, both should handle the agriculture sector properly. # posted by Luigi : 7:41 PM Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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