By Andre Huie WINN FM
Basseterre, St. Kitts: Sweet potato farmers are seeing a reduction in the infection of their crops by the sweet potato weevil. According to Mr. Eric Browne from the St. Kitts Agriculture Department, the farmers have been using baits in their fields to help trap the weevils before they begin infecting the crops.
Mr. Browne explained how the sweet potato weevil trap is set. In August of this year a two-day workshop was held with sweet potato farmers in St. Kitts Nevis on how to deal with the sweet potato weevil, which has been an ongoing challenge to their crop production. Reports are that some farmers lose in excess of 75 percent or their entire crop of sweet potato to this pest. Mr. Browne explained back then that farmers were urged to keep their farms clean of the weevil as it is damaging sweet potatoes across St. Kitts. Removing potato crops infected by the weevil was also recommended, according to Mr. Browne said. He was not able to say at the time of the recent interview with WINN FM, by how much crop production has been restored since the sweet potato weevil baits have been used. (October 23, 2011)
Source: http://www.winnfm.com/news2.asp?NewsID=7568
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