Agriculture minister urges population to observe best practices to protect plants.

Minister Mbairobe presided over the event in the presence of the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry and the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family.

Other personalities present at the ceremony included; the representative of the Governor of the Centre Region, the resident representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, and other members of the diplomatic corps, amongst others.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Mbairobe said IDPH was an occasion to sensitise the national community on the importance of plant health and the need to protect them. 

The day, he said, also provides an opportunity to demonstrate to the public the negative impact of pests on plants, resulting in major crop losses and depriving millions of people of sufficient food. 

The minister added that it underlines the effects of poor pest management through the uncontrolled use of pesticides that can affect the environment, human health and animal health.

The MINADER boss went further to underscore the importance of plants. He said “plants produce most of the oxygen we breathe; the food animals and humans eat, and have been the driving force behind the development of trade and the world economy for several centuries”.

The minister, however, regretted the fact that despite the immense importance of plants, their existence is threatened by a number of phenomena, jeopardising the planet's equilibrium.

According to Minister Mbairobe, plant diseases and pests pose a serious threat to global food security, social peace and ecological equilibrium. He said that it is therefore essential to recognise the immense services that plants, particularly healthy ones, provide to humanity.

“This is a very important day. You know that plants give us all our food, plants give us oxygen, and plants are important for the health of humans and animals. That is why we call upon all the population to be in compliance with the regulation and to observe good practices in agriculture because if we do not take care of plants’ health, we will have an important part of post-harvest loses that will reduce the production and deprive millions of people of sufficient food and good food,” Mbairobe revealed.

Says gov’t poised to ensure plant health

In Cameroon, the minister disclosed, pest damage to plants is a constant threat to food security. According to Minister Mbairobe, several measures have been taken by the government to limit the damage caused.

The minister said they have been working with partners, especially the FAO and the African Union's Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, “to set up the African Phytosanitary Programme”.

This, he said, “involves strengthening the surveillance and early warning system for early detection and effective control, strengthening the import product inspection system to better protect our agricultural and forestry heritage; and raise public awareness of the role they are likely to play in the spread of pests, and of the measures to be taken to limit their effects”.

The ceremony ended with the presentation the second edition of the Cameroon Plant Protection Index.

The close to 700-page document contains detailed information on the pests of the various plants grown in Cameroon, the different control methods, the pesticides approved to control them, the certified treatment equipment to apply these pesticides safely, among others.

According to the Chief of the National Laboratory for Analyses and Diagnosis of Agricultural products and Inputs at MINADER, Nya Edouard, the document will also serve as a working tool made available to phytosanitary professionals, extension workers, phytosanitary inspectors and controllers, as well as producers, researchers, teachers and students.

About IDPH

It is worth mentioning that IDPH was adopted on March 09, 2022 during the 78 session the United Nations. The day was instituted as a reminder that plant health is a prerequisite for the sustainable development of agriculture, which will enable to feed the world's growing population by 2050.

The celebration of the IDPH encourages action to promote and implement activities to preserve and maintain the world's plant resources, and to raise awareness of the importance of plant protection in addressing global concerns, including hunger, poverty and environmental threats.