The TaiwanICDF and the International Regional Organisation for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA) officially launched a five-year Strengthening the Control of Huanglongbing (HLB) and the Implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Citrus Project on December 11 after representatives of the two organizations met in El Salvador to complete the signing of project agreements.

The agreement was signed in the Republic of China (Taiwan) Hall at Central America Integration System (SICA) headquarters in San Salvador between H.E. Jaime Chen, Taiwan’s ambassador to El Salvador; and Ing. Guillermo Alvarado Downing, Executive Director of the OIRSA.

In addition to TaiwanICDF Secretary General Tao Wen-lung, the signing ceremony was attended by Honduras’ Minister of Agriculture and the ambassadors to El Salvador for Panama, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Also present were the head of SICA’s Department for International Cooperation, the representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture to El Salvador, and representatives of the citrus industries in all seven countries involved in the project.

The citrus industry represents an important economic lifeline in Central America, where citrus fruits are the most important source of vitamin C for local people, particularly amongst the poor. Over the past two years, however, HLB, the most destructive of citrus diseases, has posed a serious threat to citrus production and associated industries in the OIRSA’s countries of operation throughout Central America, as well as parts of the Caribbean. This cooperation project will assist five countries already infected with HLB – the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua – to build capacity in disease prevention and treatment, as well as prevent the spread of HLB to two pest-free countries, El Salvador and Panama.

HLB caused similarly widespread harm during the early years of the development of Taiwan’s own citrus industries. Having been actively conducting research into HLB over the past 60 years, Taiwanese authorities have by now amassed a wealth of experience in terms of controlling the disease. By integrating the expertise present throughout Taiwanese industries, government, and academic and research institutions, the TaiwanICDF plans to assemble a team of consultants capable of providing the full range of solutions needed to meet the needs of participating countries.

Given the cross-border threat of HLB, the TaiwanICDF has opted to promote the initiative by taking a regional approach to project planning, joining forces with the OIRSA, a key organization working in Central America. The TaiwanICDF expects that the project will effectively build capacity in the prevention and control of HLB, thereby safeguarding the quality, yields and production capacity of Central America’s citrus industries, ultimately for the benefit of the citizens of its partner countries within the region.

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• Update: 2018/03/01
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