The Plant Health Clinic training for Central staff and farmers is taking place this week at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Cakobau House in Nausori, with efforts to enhance participants’ knowledge in being able to identify and understand pest diseases.
Being the first of its kind, the training is conducted by the Ministry’s Plant Protection Division and is an opportunity for staff and farmers to learn proper management practices of insects, weeds, diseases and pests of crops.
Principal Agriculture Officer [Central], Tepola Seniloli thanked the Ministry’s Research Division for the opportune time take to train the extension officers and farmers.
“This training is something new in the country and we are fortunate to have the Research Division amongst us to share their knowledge and expectations for Crop Extension.”
Mrs Seniloli said the examining in health of people is quite common nowadays whereby doctors attend to patients and take simple blood tests, pressure and sugar levels and do further medical examinations.
Similarly, in this case, she said that the Research staff are plant doctors who are well versed with the basics of identifying pest diseases and causal organisms.
She urged participants to work as a team and make use of whatever resources available at the training and to also be confident when dealing with farmers while in the field.
The training will end tomorrow.