Accra, June 3, GNA - Over 57 scientists in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe on Tuesday converged in Accra to begin a four-day International Workshop on the Lethal Yellowing Disease affecting coconut trees.

The disease, known as Cape Saint Paul Wilt in Ghana, named after the town in the Western Region where the disease was first detected in the 1930s, has destroyed over a million coconut trees in the country during the last 30 years.

The workshop would therefore provide participants the opportunity to enhance their research work and forge ahead with strategies to deal with the threat.

Mr. Ernest Debrah, Minister of Food and Agriculture, in a speech read on his behalf said as at 1998, about 4,000 hectares of coconut plantation in the country had been destroyed by the disease. He said as a result of its effects on the economy, especially the eight per cent of the rural population who depended on coconut for survival, government sought the assistance of the French Government to set up a five-year Coconut Sector Development project with a grant facility of 3.9 million euros.

He stated that the project, launched in April 1999 chalked a number of successes when it ended on December 31 2005, including the re-plantation of 1,300 hectares, two new seed gardens comprising 21.2 hectares of Malayan Yellow Dwarf and 10 hectares of Sri Lankan Green Dwarf at Bonsaso, near Tarkwa. Mr Debrah said Government had also signed an agreement with the French Agency for Development (Agence Fran=E7aise de D=E9veloppement) for a four-million euro credit facility for the support of sustainable applied research programmes.

The Minister called for concerted efforts from all researchers and development stakeholders to save the industry from collapse. Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, said hosting the workshop in Ghana demonstrated the country's commitment to champion the fight against the disease. She said the threat was not only a major concern for sustainable agriculture but to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, beverage and other industries that used coconut for production as well. Ms Ohene thanked the French government for its support and urged the scientists to use the platform to discuss their findings and consider ways to pool their resources together in addressing the problem.

Mr. Pierre Jacquemot, French Ambassador, said the French government had for the past 20 years supported Ghana in diverse ways to improve agriculture.

He said although eradication of the lethal yellow disease might be difficult to achieve, providing a platform to share experiences among scientists with different experiences would make headway. The Ambassador said the workshop would also be used to take stock of programmes implemented, create better understanding and encourage the formation of networks among scientists.

He pledged his government's further commitment to support the outcomes and resolutions made by participants during the workshop. Professor Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said coconut remained a source of livelihood for some disadvantaged groups, and as such its improvement would help to address poverty, hunger and empower women in line with the Millennium Development Goals.

He hinted that the Oil Palm Plantation Institute of CSIR had won a research grant of 385,500 pounds from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, to investigate Phytopalsma disease, also in coconut. Prof. Bennoah charged participants to form global partnerships for development and consider ways of combining fundamental research into seed transmission. 3 June 08