Paul Mayaka

Chanesa Tembo-Agriculture Minister MTOLO PHIRI says the government has started distributing pesticides across the country to curb the fall army worms. Mr. MTOLO says a number of provinces have already been affected by the army worms due to change in weather patterns. He told ZNBC news that camp officers are on high alert monitoring the situation. Mr MTOLO said the government recently released about K46m which has gone towards the procurement of agricultural pests. Pesticides distributed to curb fall army worms ~ (znbc.co.zm)

Posted on IPPC Website on Tue, 18 Jan 2022, 15:00 Rome, 18 January 2022. National economies depend on the efficient and uninterrupted movement of trade, which is facilitated by the efficient movement of sea containers through a complex and time sensitive logistical system. With over 220 million containers shipped each year, the scale of sea container operations is monumental. As a consequence, any changes to the system are likely to have substantive knock-on effects. The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), its committees and subgroups have actively considered the subject of pest spread through contamination of sea containers since 2008. The Sea Container Task Force (SCTF), a subgroup of the Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC), was established in 2017 to guide the IPPC’s work on sea containers and associated phytosanitary risks. In 2020 the task force’s four-year mandate was extended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which precluded many planned activities, and concluded in December 2021. The original tasks of the SCTF included measuring the impact of the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units Code (CTU Code); facilitating the efficient implementation of the Complementary Action Plan for Assessing and Managing the Pest Threats Associated with Sea Containers; exploring the use of the Authorized Economic Operators concept within the World Customs Organization (WCO)’s SAFE Framework of Standards and the data model for sea container cleanliness purposes; and increasing the awareness of pest risks in the sea container pathway. The final report of the SCTF will be submitted to the next IC for approval and subsequent submission to the sixteenth session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures that will take place in April 2022. The report will include possible ways forward and a number of targeted measures to address specific issues related to pest contamination of sea containers. Furthermore, thanks to strong collaboration between national plant protection organizations and industry representatives, the SCTF put forward a number of recommendations for action to reduce phytosanitary risk in the sea container pathway. The IPPC Secretariat sincerely congratulates all the SCTF members and observers for the work carried out over the past five years. The IPPC Sea Container Task Force has successfully completed its mandate – International Plant Protection Convention

Fall armyworm Lusaka, Zambia | Xinhua | An outbreak of fall armyworms has broken out in Zambia and threatened the country’s agricultural produce, a government official said on Wednesday. Reuben Phiri, the Minister of Agriculture, said the fall armyworms have so far been reported in Mkushi district in the central part of the country but added that the outbreak was likely to spread to all parts of the country because of the prevailing climatic conditions. He told reporters during a press briefing that so far, about 331 hectares of land have been affected by the fall armyworms in the district. The minister however said the ministry has strengthened surveillance and other control measures to contain the outbreak of the migratory pests, adding that the ministry was actively monitoring the situation. According to him, Zambia has in the last 10 years experienced outbreaks of fall armyworms in seven agricultural seasons. ***** Xinhua

Posted on Thu, 23 Dec 2021, 08:50 Rome 20 December 2021. The 33rd meeting of Technical Consultation among Regional Plant Protection Organizations (TC RPPO) held two virtual sessions on 6 October and 8 November 2021 with a continuance of topics remaining from the 32nd TC RPPO. The virtual meetings were chaired by Mr Visoni Timote the Executive Secretary of the Pacific Plant Protection Organization (PPPO). The request of ECOWAS to be recognized as an RPPO was conversed with a recommendation for a final decision to be made by the Convention on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) 16. An update by the IPPC Secretariat on the partnership/collaboration with the International Society for Pests that highlight potential linkages with the work of the CPM Focus Group on Pest Outbreak Alert and Response System was presented to the technical consultation members. The TC RPPO also received an update from the Secretariat on Laboratory Diagnostic Networking as it relates to the Strategic Framework 2020 – 2030 Development Agenda and discussed ideas for the Terms of Reference for a potential consultant to be hired by the IPPC. Preliminary ideas on how a consultant could proceed with evaluations to analyze various resources already in existence by some regional laboratory diagnostic systems were deliberated. The TC RPPO finalized the amendments of the Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of TC-RPPO that were discussed in earlier virtual platforms. Fully acknowledging the efforts of the drafting team, Chairperson Mr Timote congratulated the team for its work on amending the Terms of Reference. The former representative from The Andean Community (CAN) Mr Camilo Beltran Montoyo, Mr Nico Horn from the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), Mr Mekki Chouibani of the Near East Plant Protection Organization (NEPPO), and Ms Stephanie Bloem from the North America Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO) were recognized by the Chairperson for their accomplishment. Mr Nico Horn from the EPPO and Ms Stephanie Bloem from NAPPO volunteered to be the rapporteurs. Once the draft TC RPPO reports are cleared, they will become available on the IPP website. The final virtual session of the 33rd TC RPPO series is scheduled for 3 February 2022 when a new Chairperson will be elected.

Posted on Thu, 23 Dec 2021, 08:58 21 December – Rome, Italy. The IPPC Secretariat staff convened its year-end celebration with words of encouragement and well wishes from Plant Production and Protection Divisional (NSP) Director Mr Jingyuan XIA and IPPC Secretariat Officer-in-Charge for Daily Matters Mr Avetik NERSISYAN. The IPPC Secretariat held a virtual fun-filled hour to conclude the year in lieu of a physical holiday gathering during the late afternoon hour on 21 December. Reflecting on the challenges of 2021, Mr XIA thanked the group of 21 participants for a successful year of IPPC accomplishments. Inspiring the team on the effective support and contributions, as well as a positive commitment, he expressed his best wishes for a joyful holiday season and a successful and prosperous New Year 2022. Mr NERSISYAN’s words of congratulations to the participants outlined an impressive year of accomplishments. He noted, “Despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, 2021 has been quite a successful year for the IPPC community. This year we organized the historical CPM-15 which is the first time in IPPC history that this meeting was held virtually. The CPM-15 adopted the IPPC Strategic Framework 2020-2030, 11 standards (4 ISPMs, 7 PTs) and 1 CPM Recommendation on Food Aid.” Additional accomplishments this year were the successful delivery and closing of the IYPH 2020, seven Regional Workshops conducted, organization of virtual TC- RPPO meetings, three IPPC published guides, and ensuring the continued expansion of the IPPC ePhyto Solution. The partnership agreement with COLEACP was also signed and finalized for joint development of advocacy and educational materials. All of these accomplishments are on top of the normative work processes including the organization and facilitation of governance meetings, working groups, technical panels and focus groups. To celebrate the strong kindred spirit working together as One IPPC, each of the participants described in one word their thoughts of the IPPC and used the backdrop of movies, songs, and animals to describe the IPPC. With words of encouragement and a reflection of the year, the IPPC closed the hour with a sense of joy and success as they move forward to new IPPC challenges in 2022.

Lusaka, Zambia | Xinhua | An outbreak of fall armyworms has broken out in Zambia and threatened the country’s agricultural produce, a government official said on Wednesday. Reuben Phiri, the Minister of Agriculture, said the fall armyworms have so far been reported in Mkushi district in the central part of the country but added that the outbreak was likely to spread to all parts of the country because of the prevailing climatic conditions. He told reporters during a press briefing that so far, about 331 hectares of land have been affected by the fall armyworms in the district. The minister however said the ministry has strengthened surveillance and other control measures to contain the outbreak of the migratory pests, adding that the ministry was actively monitoring the situation. According to him, Zambia has in the last 10 years experienced outbreaks of fall armyworms in seven agricultural seasons. ***** Xinhua