The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy received one thousand two hundred (1,200) tissue culture plantlets to undertake establishment and trials for Tropical Race 4 (TR4) Resistant banana plants.

In 2022 at the Plant Health Directors Forum/MUSA Technical Working Group formulated a plan to move ahead and ensure there exists some level of preparedness against TR4.

Under the Support to Pest Exclusion in the Caribbean- Efforts to exclude TR4 in the Caribbean Project funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/APHIS) and technical assistance from IICA the project received the plants and supporting materials to undertake open field trials to evaluate how these plants adapt to our agronomical practices within the island’s ecosystem.

The project focused on three (3) components:

1.       Assist 10 countries to develop a National Action Plan for TR4

2.       Conduct a simulation exercised in a test country (done in Trinidad and Tobago)

3.       Receive germplasm to establish and test resistance (Dominica)

The plants are now being hardened and weaned at the Portsmouth Agricultural Station and will be distributed to commercial farmers and various Agricultural Stations. Total project assistance valued at $1,800.00USD

The plants will be established at the Agricultural stations to undertake research on how well the plants develop and produce within our ecological system.