CITRUS GREENING THREATENS BELIZE'S CITRUS INDUSTRY

UNCLAS BELMOPAN 000314 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN (JENNIFER VANTRUMP) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON BEXP EAGR PGOV BH SUBJECT: CITRUS GREENING THREATENS BELIZE'S CITRUS INDUSTRY -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. In May 2009, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) confirmed the presence of citrus greening in Belize. This disease represents a serious threat to an industry which significantly contributes to the Belizean economy in terms of foreign exchange earnings and employment in the rural southern communities. The industry has sought to implement a wide range of responses to control the spread of the disease; however, it is constrained by internal conflicts among major industry representatives, a degree of reluctance by GOB authorities to regulate on behalf of the industry, and lack of adequate resources to implement certain measures. -------------- Citrus Greening in Belize -------------- ¶2. Citrus greening, also called Huanglongbing (HLB) or yellow dragon disease, is one of the more serious diseases affecting the citrus industry in the Western Hemisphere. It is spread by the insect Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) Diaphorina citri. This insect sucks fluids from infected plants, reproduces the citrus greening bacteria inside itself, and then propagates the organism to all trees on which it feeds. The symptoms of citrus greening include yellowing of leaves, distorted fruit, bitter juice, and a greening of the fruit after it has ripened. After contracting the disease, the health of a citrus plant diminishes to the point that, within five to eight years, the tree barely produces usable fruit. There is no cure for citrus greening. ¶3. To date, the citrus industries in Brazil, Florida, and more recently in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, have been affected. In the U.S., the disease was first detected in Southern Florida in 2005 and has now spread through most of the Florida panhandle. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded its citrus greening quarantine zone to include the entire state of Florida. Florida growers have worked with BAHA and the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) to assist in their efforts to control the spread of this disease. ¶4. In Belize, a survey undertaken by relevant authorities resulted in a declaration in May 2009 by BAHA, confirming the presence of citrus greening. While the disease has been detected country-wide, it is predominantly found in the southern district of Stann Creek, particularly the Hopkins area. This concentration presents a serious threat to Belize's economy, as most commercial citrus farms are located in the southern districts. -------------- --- Proposals to deal with citrus greening in Belize -------------- --- ¶5. Education and testing: The CGA is undertaking initiatives to educate growers countrywide to recognize the symptoms of the disease. In addition, CGA has recently purchased a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machine to conduct testing of citrus plants in Belize; in anticipation of the machine's arrival, the CGA accumulated 957 samples for testing. This machine commenced testing the week of July 20th. The Association has also proposed that Belize provide other countries with regional testing services. ¶6. Managing nurseries: One of the issues of contention that has emerged is how to deal with contamination affecting citrus nurseries. In June 2009, Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (OIRSA) wrote a short report on the situation in Belize, which expressed serious concerns that nurseries in Dangriga and Punta Gorda have been compromised. The report informs that all the nurseries in these areas tested positive for the presence of the citrus greening psyllid, that none are screened, and that most lack adequate agronomic and phytosanitary management. ¶7. Internal politics in the industry has further complicated the response with respect to nurseries, since two of the largest citrus farms are also nursery growers. Their nurseries are in the middle of infected areas, and they believe that any of the proposed responses to the disease would lead to a loss of revenue and investment in the short- to medium-term. These same farms sustained serious damage in the 2008 floods, which has heightened fears of further revenue loss. ¶8. The recommendation from the Citrus Greening Committee, and the CGA, is to stop the sale of nursery stock until these nurseries have been tested for citrus greening. Based on this recommendation, the GOB has recently implemented a two-month moratorium on the sale of nursery plants across the country. ¶9. Destroying infected trees: BAHA, along with industry representatives, has also informed growers that infected trees do not have a chance of survival. Growers are being advised to destroy infected trees. While there have been proposals that GOB intervene to require the mandatory elimination of infected trees countrywide, some commercial growers are resisting. Many are concerned that such a requirement would cause a significant loss of investment to nurseries and commercial growers. However, if infected trees are not removed from groves, the disease will spread, potentially leading to larger losses of revenue in the long-term. ¶10. Psyllid control: Another avenue being contemplated is psyllid control and screening. Since 2005, CGA has tried biological control of psyllids. This method involves reducing or mitigating pests and pest effects through the use of natural enemies. Preliminary research has shown that there are biological controls in Belize, but these have not been fully identified or quantified. CGA's research branch (CREI) is working with the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI) to identify which biological control agents currently found in Belize are the most effective at helping to keep the populations of infected psyllids low. This stronger biological agent would be complemented with the physical screening-in of nurseries to prevent psyllids from entering and infecting healthy plants. To kill the psyllids and prevent further contamination, spraying of citrus groves and nurseries has been proposed. ¶11. Biological and nutritional methods: Research is being done outside Belize, including in Florida, Mexico, and Brazil, on other measures to prevent the spread, and minimize the impact of citrus greening. While no cure has been found for the disease, there has been some success in identifying a more resistant species of tree. For example, emerging research is seeking to engineer seemingly naturally-resistant trees in China, by inserting disease-resistant genes from spinach into citrus chromosomes. Others are developing high-speed orchards, which produce trees that bear fruit earlier, before greening can kill them off, thus allowing growers to profit more from trees that are infected by the disease. There is also some research to suggest that by adding nutritional supplements, such as Keyplex 1000, to citrus groves the immune system of trees is strengthened, prolonging their production life, even if infected. Many growers are hopeful that this research will produce viable results, as these methods seem to prove less costly than culling diseased trees or spraying. ¶12. Financing: In addition, CREI along with a Citrus Greening Committee has prepared a short-term work plan with a budget of approximately BZ$400,000 (US$200,000) to address the problem. The matter of how the funding would be raised failed to be addressed at CGA's 41st Annual General Meeting in June 2009. A Special CGA General Meeting is scheduled for September 2009 to deal specifically with the matter of citrus greening. The CEO of the CGA has indicated that he will recommend an increase in growers' contributions to aid in its response to greening. He will propose that contributions be increased by BZ$0.10 (five cents U.S.) per box of grapefruit and oranges. ¶13. Regional and international initiatives: Given the importance of the industry to the Belizean economy, industry representatives have also started to lobby the GOB for central government assistance and its support in lobbying regional and international organizations. ¶14. In response to concerns about the disease spreading north, Mexico has been working with the industry and has proposed the creation of a buffer zone in the northern districts of Belize. The zone could be funded by Mexico's portion of OIRSA funding, in a one-time contribution of US$700,000; however, no agreement has yet been signed. Unfortunately, even if this proposal is adopted and funded, most of the commercial citrus groves in Belize are located in the south of the country, so it remains to be seen if this will help to contain the disease within Belize, or if it will only prevent it from spreading to Mexico. ¶15. In addition, industry experts and researchers have visited Belize. A technical assistance initiative is proceeding with Brazilian counterparts who have experience with citrus greening and has resulted in further research and technical exchanges. However, there is little prospect that this initiative will translate to grants to implement an adequate response to the disease. -------------- Comments -------------- ¶16. Not only is the citrus industry a significant employer in the southern districts of Belize, but it also represents a major source of exports and foreign exchange earnings. In 2009, revenues generated from the export of citrus juices amounted to BZ$89.7 million and were surpassed only by those of petroleum exports. The presence of the citrus greening disease presents a serious threat to the viability of this industry, and by extension, to the already weakened Belizean economy. The disease comes at a time of global crisis, where the international price of citrus products has decreased to some of the lowest levels in ten years, while the costs of fertilizers and other farm inputs are skyrocketing. ¶17. Locally, the industry is seeking to rebound from damages caused by flooding in June 2008. Also, Belize's industry is comprised of approximately five hundred smaller growers who make up about ninety percent of the industry. These farmers would be especially threatened by the impact of citrus greening, since they would have tremendous difficulty in implementing measures to combat this disease. DIFFILY