Month: March 2022

Posted on Fri, 18 Mar 2022, 07:24 The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat, with the support of many partners and cooperators, including the UNICC, has developed the ePhyto solution to bring plant-protection phytosanitary certification for international trade into the digital era. The ePhyto solution, now four years underway, has successfully enabled a growing number of countries to electronically exchange ePhytos, quickly, accurately and at low cost. Continue reading the article by the IPPC principal partner, UNICC by clicking here…… IPPC ePhyto Solution, Four Years In – International Plant Protection Convention

Posted on Fri, 11 Mar 2022, 06:44 Rome, 8 March 2022 – Mr. Osama El-Lissy has been appointed as the Secretary of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), effective February 26, 2022. Born in Egypt and a national of the United States, El-Lissy holds a doctorate degree in management from the University of Maryland, a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University, a Master of Public Administration from American University, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture production and entomology from Cairo University. Prior to this appointment, Dr. El-Lissy worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for almost 22 years. For the past nine years, he served as Deputy Administrator of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. In that role, Dr. El-Lissy led the national plant protection organization of the United States and served as the country’s chief plant health officer. He also provided leadership to 3 000 employees in the United States and around the world. Dr. El-Lissy held several other executive positions earlier in his USDA career. These included Associate Deputy Administrator, Director of Plant Health Emergency Programs, and National Coordinator of Cotton Pest Programs. Prior to joining USDA in 2000, Dr. El-Lissy worked for the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation from 1994 to 2000, leading one of the largest pest eradication programs in the world. From 1986 to 1994, he worked with the Arizona Cotton Research and Protection Council, managing large-scale cotton pest eradication programs in Arizona and the southwestern region of the United States. El-Lissy also headed U.S. delegation at international and regional plant protection organizations such as the IPPC, the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO), and the Plant Health Quadrilateral (QUADS) between the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to harmonize science-based and safe movement of agricultural products. He also played an active role in the development of the IPPC 2020-30 strategic plan and has been a strong and consistent advocate and sponsor of key IPPC global initiatives. His unique blend of scientific and executive leadership expertise, international networks, and personal and professional goals position him well to facilitate and support FAO’s global efforts at defeating hunger and achieving food security worldwide. With 30 years of experience in agriculture, Osama effectively managed and promoted the exchange of sector-relevant knowledge with international partners as well as private sector entities to synergize resources and optimize programs to safeguard agriculture and facilitate safe trade. With his new appointment, El-Lissy said, “I am thrilled to serve as the Secretary for one of most premier standard setting organizations in the world. Protecting global plant resources against invasive pests and facilitating safe trade of agriculture products and ultimately feeding the world, is such a noble mission and I am simply humbled and honored to be part of it. I look forward to working very closely with the 184 contracting parties and the commission to implement the IPPC mission in the most effective manner.”….. Tags: Secretary IPPC

Posted on Mon, 28 Feb 2022, 14:01 ROME, 28 February 2022. The Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) organized the second virtual technical workshop on phytosanitary measures for contracting parties in developing countries from 21 to 25 February. The workshop was supported by the IPPC China project “Strengthening the Capacity of Developing Contracting Parties to Implement the IPPC and its Standards under FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme.” The workshop was attended by 112 participants from 41 countries. including 16 countries in Africa, 13 in Asia and the Pacific, four in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, four in the Latin America Region and four in the Near East and North Africa. In his opening remarks, Jingyuan Xia, Director of FAO Plant Production and Protection Division stated, “The IPPC-China project is an important undertaking supported by the FAO-China South-South Cooperation programme. With USD two million of funding, the project focuses on improving the phytosanitary capacity of developing countries of the IPPC. The main activities supported through the project covered organization of 5 IPPC regional workshops, two IPPC high-level symposia, and two technical workshops (virtual), as well as delivery of international year of plant health 2020 and implementation of FAO global action on FAW control.” He emphasized that the second virtual workshop aimed to build the capacity of contracting parties in developing countries by promoting bilateral and regional cooperation on phytosanitary issues and to share information on technology and products. Jianmin Xie, Counsel (DG level) of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), affirmed his commitment to the IPPC: “China is always willing to share its phytosanitary technologies and plant protection experience with developing countries,” he said. “This is to jointly improve their ability to honor their commitment to the IPPC and to contribute to world food security and agricultural sustainability,” he added. Jianmin Xie commended the achievements of the IPPC Secretariat and the activities under the IPPC-China Project. Participants were given an overview of the FAO-China South-South cooperation and the agricultural development and perspectives in the People’s Republic of China. Participants also learned about the impact of pests and how to control them using integrated measures. These include monitoring and early warning, using new technologies such as pest radar, and employing agricultural control such as the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) such as Bt cotton. Other pest control measures include physical control, ecological regulation and the use of biotechnologies. Participants further benefited from the presentation on institutional innovation and technological development trends of China’s entry and exit plant quarantine, and on the Chinese agricultural technology extension system. Many participants showed interest on how China’s NPPO supervises and manages its a vast plant health management system, comprising of 2 956 institutions. Participants also learned about China’s phytosanitary laws and regulations and how plant quarantine measures are implemented in 6 000 monitoring sites distributed across 31 provinces. Some participants inquired knowledge about the availability, accessibility and cooperation channels of China’s latest phytosanitary technology and tools. The second virtual technical workshop was organized with the support of the FAO Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP), the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (PST) Division, the Center of International Cooperation Service (CICOS) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of the People’s Republic of China, the General Administration of Customs of China, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center. More information: IPPC Global Project on Capacity Development under the framework of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme

Posted on Wed, 23 Feb 2022, 17:15 Rome, 21 February 2022. The causal agent responsible for the citrus greening or Huanglongbing (HLB), one of the most destructive citrus diseases, has a new adopted international diagnostic protocol. Caused by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter, HLB is one of the greatest threats to the citrus industry worldwide, mainly affecting citrus and other plants in the Rutaceae family. The disease is widespread in Asia, Africa and the Americas, transmitted by two different insect vectors: the African citrus psyllid (Trioza erytreae) in Africa, and the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) in Asia and the Americas. To protect citrus plants from this devastating disease and facilitating their safe trade worldwide, the Standards Committee (SC) has adopted a new diagnostic protocol on behalf of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) after a 45-day notification period. The newly adopted Diagnostic Protocol 31 is added as an Annex to the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measure on diagnostic protocols for regulated pests (ISPM 27) and focuses on the three main species of Candidatus Liberibacter: ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’ and ‘Candidatus Liberibacter americanus’. It provides guidelines on detection and identification, ranging from biological indexing to molecular tests. Fruits affected by the HLB disease have a bitter and salty taste, and are usually smaller than the healthy ones. They often fail to develop normal fruit color, and can fall prematurely. Leaf yellowing is the first symptom of the disease, followed by mottling and chlorosis in one shoot or sector of the tree. Leaves on weak terminal twigs become small, upright and show a variety of chlorotic patterns. The development of the diagnostic protocol on Candidatus Liberibacter spp. on Citrus spp. has been on the work programme of the Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols for many years. Since 2004, it has gone through several preparation stages, including expert consultations, consultation periods, technical panel’s reviews and finally the adoption of the Standards Committee on behalf of the CPM. This complex and long process ensures that the adopted Diagnostic Protocols reflect international best practices and that the guidance they provide is applicable to phytosanitary systems globally. Good diagnostics rely on several factors, including the availability of human and financial resources. Yet, having support from internationally accepted protocols is also crucial, especially for those countries that do not have the resources to develop protocols of their own. As outlined in the CPM Recommendation 7, accurate and rapid pest diagnosis underpins phytosanitary certification, import inspections, surveillance and the application of appropriate phytosanitary treatments. The Diagnostic Protocol 31 will be available soon at the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures page. Learn more: Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures DP Notification Period