1.1. There is need to sensitize policy makers, researchers, teachers and extension workers to the leucaena psyllid problem.
1.2. There is a need to provide adequate resources to address the problem in view of the socio-economic implications, particularly the well being of the farming communities.
1.3. There is a need for national, regional and international funding and technical linkages.
1.4. Since biological control is recognized as being a major component of a leucaena psyllid IPM system, there is an urgent need for each country to acquire the required facilities and capabilities for immediate implementation.
1.5. While recognizing the need to introduce natural enemies, standard protocols as outlines in the draft FAO "Code of Conduct for the Improt and Relase of Biological Control Agents" for screening, evaluation and monitoring of biological agents should be strictly followed. In no case should field releases be made without following these protocols.
2.1. Actions to monitor the extent of leucaena psyllid distribution and damage and an evaluation of the socio-economic impacts should be undertaken immediately.
2.2. Survey and screening of indigenous natural enemies and their potential for biological control should be given high priority.
2.3. Introduction of known available natural enemies should be undertaken immediately.
2.4. Indigenous tree species with an agroforestry potential should be explored and promoted in conjunction with diversifying leucaena germ plasm.
2.5. Diversification of multipurpose tree species should be encouraged so that more than one species/variety is advocated in order to avoid the devastating effects of pest and disease outbreaks in large areas of single species plantings.
3.1. There is a need for concerted efforts at all of these levels to provide adequate resources to initiate research, development and management programmes within the context of national and regional needs.
3.2. There is an urgent need for an African forest pest and disease network. Leucaena psyllid should be one of the focuses of this network.
by
Dr F.M. Shao
Commissioner for Research and Training,
Ministry of Agriculture
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Mr. Chairman,
Representatives of
Collaborating Institutions,
Distinguished Guests from the Sub-region,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to be given this opportunity to say a few words prior to closing the workshop.
On behalf of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and on behalf of the Minister of Tourism, Natural Resources and Environment, I would like to thank you all for accepting our invitation and for your active and vigorous participation.
My special thanks go to the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service for providing financial assistance and to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for technical support in hosting the workshop. Let me also thank the Director General of TAFORI and his able organizing committee for arranging this workshop since February 1994. As we can all witness the arrangements have been successful.
My sincere thanks go to resource persons for their contributions through their paper presentations.
I wish to go further and thank the management of the White Sands Hotel for providing us with the conducive environment for the workshop and for the excellent services they have provided us through the Managers, the Receptionists, the Telephone Operator, and the Waiters. Keep it up and strive to improve further! We also wish to thank the Travel Agent, "MS Antelope Travel and Tours Ltd" for their timely services.
Mr. Chairman, it would not be fair to forget thanking various chairpersons, rapporteurs, the workshop hall technicians from the Department of Forestry and Beekeeping and the secretaries for their excellent contribution to this workshop.
Mr. Chairman, the objective of this workshop was to exchange experiences concerning the Leucaena Psyllid infestation and then agree on its sustainable management tactics. I believe a lot was reported regarding the spread of the insect from the Caribbean to Tanzania and ultimately it will reach Nigeria, which is currently free of the insect.
As regards to control tactics, the International Institute of Biological Control, Kenya Station, and the Asia-Pacific efforts through Dr. Banpot Napompeth, have done a commendable job towards identifying suitable natural enemies to manage the psyllid.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to recommend that rather than wait for our own natural enemies to be discovered, we should adapt the results of the successful work done in Thailand in order to save time, resources and expertise which are scarcely available in total in any one country in the sub-region. As it has been realized within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and indeed in OAU, that through networking, we can strengthen ourselves economically. I am convinced that you could very soon chase away the malicious insect through networks.
A network coordinating centre should be established to monitor the leucaena psyllid problem within the sub-region, and Tanzania having been honoured to organize this workshop should be considered to host the centre. I would suggest that FAO through her TCP should engineer the establishment of such a centre and facilitate some scientists from the sub-region to visit the Asia-Pacific region to study the methodologies involved in the process of controlling the leucaena psyllid.
Mr. Chairman, the ultimate success of this workshop shall not only depend on the number of viable conclusions reached, but rather the implementation pace of those resolutions. Therefore my message to you is: translate your resolutions and recommendations into ACTIONS before it is too late.
From history we are aware of many workshops with excellent resolutions but due to lack of implementation they remained in the office files for years and perhaps got lost.
Therefore I would like to appeal to you to make your workshop a unique one by following up your resolutions with actions, so that two years from now you should be able to meet and to evaluate your proceedings. If these resolutions are not implemented or if we don't reconvene to evaluate performance then this workshop should not have been organized.
I hope FAO and TAFORI and every institution which is represented here should take up this challenge. Let me insist that if we want to contain the forest pest problem within the sub- region and beyond SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NETWORKS you have adopted is MANDATORY.
Mr. Chairman, taking into account current efforts being made to reverse the deforestation trend largely through communal afforestation every effort should be made to avoid frustrating already made attempts, by taking prompt action, and hence keep up peoples' high morale to plant trees.
Mr. Chairman, since the delegates, have been here for several days, I would shy away from further boring you with lengthy speeches. I therefore want to thank every body once again for his contribution to this workshop and wish you safe journey home with lots of greetings from Tanzania.
With these few words, I am pleased to declare the workshop closed.
Thank you.
