Froghopper threatens 2004 sugar season

IN AN effort to combat the ever-present froghopper population, the Sugar Manufacturing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SMCTT) — the entity which has replaced the defunct Caroni (1975) Ltd — has carried out aerial spraying over heavily infested sugarcane fields yesterday. The action brought a measure of relief to farmers who had been complaining that the pest, if left unchecked, could pose a major and serious threat to the viability of the upcoming 2004 sugarcane crop.

According to Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers Association (TICFA), public relations officer Lallan Rajaram, the company had resumed aerial spraying after TICFA chairman Raffique Shah met on Monday with Agriculture Minister John Rahael and SMCTT chairman Prem Nandlal. “Farmers were complaining that even though they were looking after their fields, the froghopper was still posing a serious threat to the canes,” Rajaram said. He observed that the pest would often burrow into the sugar cane stalks and destroy the canes by killing the leaves. “Whole fields which have been decimated by the froghopper turn brown as if a big fire passed through the rows,” he said, adding that aerial spraying was the most effective method for controlling the pest.  He said that the SMCTT had also agreed to send observers into affected fields to assess the level of infestation. Rajaram said fields from Forres Park to Reform to Masseyland in Central Trinidad were among the most affected by the froghopper.