CHAIRMAN of Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Mr. Alli Baksh, last weekend, inspected several farms along Supenaam Creek to get a first hand look at sucker plants affected by ‘Soca Tora’ disease. He said the Regional Administration is very concerned about the strange development that has already destroyed hundreds of sucker plants and will be asking the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) for assistance.
Baksh said NARI experts should visit the area again and give technical advice to farmers on how to combat the disease that is threatening to destroy plantain and banana crops along Supenaam and Essequibo rivers.
Several farmers told the Guyana Chronicle, when the disease attacks a plant, the leaves become very brown, as if fire burnt them before the plant dies.
Technical officers from NARI and the Ministry of Agriculture visited some farms several weeks ago and had discussions with the owners.
Meantime, the current El Nino weather condition is seriously affecting cash crop farming across the region, where lack of irrigation water is causing cultivations to wither in hot sunlight.