Belize to Receive Lab Equipment to Fight Fusarium

The sugar crop traditionally begins at the end of the year. And with that time quickly approaching, Fusarium continues to pose major challenges to the industry. On Wednesday, Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Victoriano Pascual told reporters that the spread has slowed. He added that plans are underway to establish a dedicated lab at the Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute to strengthen the fight against Fusarium and help the industry recover.

 

Dr. Victoriano Pascual, Chief Agriculture Officer

“Fusarium is something that we have been dealing with in the sugar sector. We have been working with the World Bank. The government of Belize has put some funds into that to try to manage what we have. We have been working tirelessly with SIRDI. They have come up with a cocktail of measures to try to control the spread in the country. It has affected the production up north and they are working with the IAEA to get some lab equipment. We are fixing up a lab in SIRDI so that we will be able to produce more of the fungus as a biological control to minimize the spread in the future. We are doing what we can to minimize the spread. Now it is a little bit slower, but with all the people on board, BSI/ASR, SIRDI, the ministry, the different association, they all know the destruction this fungus can cause.”