Saint Lucia - Banana farmers happy with oil that saves crop after serious losses

10.02.2025 396 views

Multiple banana farmers say they are satisfied with the effectiveness of the oil they recently received to treat Black Sigatoka.

Recently, the island experienced an acute shortage of the oil, which resulted in a vast number of bananas being destroyed.

In some cases, more than half of the plantations of some farmers were infested by the fungal disease.

The oil is procured by the government.

Matthew Charlery, a farmer from Desruisseaux, Micoud, said: “The oil worked very well for me. I am satisfied with how it treated the leaf spot.”

Patrick Bertin, a farmer from Laborie said: “I have no complaints. The oil is working very well.”

“The oil worked perfect. It was first class,” another farmer from Grace said, adding that whatever chemical they put in the oil is the ideal chemical to treat Black Sigatoka.

However, according to the farmers, the effectiveness of the oil to a certain extent depends on the climate and the location of the farms.

In the meantime, the farmers say they are hoping that they do not experience another shortage of oil because it has seriously affected their livelihood.

“I lost a lot of money during the time I stayed without oil. It was very frustrating,” a farmer said.

 

Source - https://stlucia.loopnews.com

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