Currently, the team from the Ministry of Agriculture is conducting thorough investigations to determine the exact disease affecting yam cultivation on island.
“The yam issue is a new thing. We’ve never had that issue before. Just last week, I was told there’s a new disease affecting the yams and the farmers are experiencing some difficulty. What our research team is now doing is investigating to identify the disease, its source, and how we can get it under control,” he explained.
Prospere says farmers need to practice crop rotation to keep the soil healthy and fertile. This, in turn, will aid the soil ward off pests and diseases.
“What farmers need to do is practice rotation. So you plant corn and the next time you plant something else. But remember we have that monoculture form of cultivation with bananas, so the roots of the plants were at the same level all the time. That’s why it’s important to practice a mixed type of agriculture. So you have the banana and the tree crops, as well as other crops that can reach different levels of the soil.”
He adds that planting only one crop for long periods damages the soil. The Agriculture Minister says agriculturalists need to be open to modern ways of doing things.
“As you continue to grow crops on the same piece of land, your fertility level will diminish and deteriorate. The fact that the soil is less healthy, the plants are more susceptible to disease. If you don’t eat well on a day-to-day, it’s easy for you to be faced with a disease or illness.”
Beyond this current disease, Prospoere says farmers are constantly facing adversities in their trade - not least of which is climate change.
“In agriculture, there are a range of insects and pests which just emerge. For example, we’ve been experiencing some issues with watermelons. The crop is growing very healthily. Then, a week before harvesting, all the foliage disappears. We have problems with our coconuts in our coconut mite…there are a range of insect pests that are just emerging because of the whole issue of climate change,” he said.
Ministry officials are also battling the TR4 disease which has been affecting banana plantations since the 2010’s.