April 17, 2007

Yikes -- wheat fungus in Yemen

From the Yemen Times:
UN confirms Wheat Killer in Yemen… but Agriculture Ministry denies findings
Abdullah Al-Siani, director of plant quarantine in the Ministry of Agriculture expressed his surprise at the press release that the UN food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued on Thursday, in which it warned of the spread of “new and virulent fungus” that can attack many varieties of wheat in Yemen. He insisted that there is no official warning, statement, or survey revealing such a wheat infection.

“The Ministry of Agriculture is the only official authority in Yemen that can confirm such diseases, and as we haven’t yet registered any case of wheat stem rust, we can not confirm this information” he stated, adding that the Ministry is now carrying out a survey to record any plant infection.

The Rome based agency warned of the outbreak of wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis), also known as wheat black rust, which is capable of causing severe crop losses. It said that the infection has spread from East Africa to Yemen. The agency also said that a new pathogen, which first emerged in Uganda in 1999 and is therefore called Ug99, has been found in Yemen. The FAO pointed out that Ug99 strain is more virulent than the one found in East Africa.

It is estimated that as much as 80 percent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and Africa are susceptible to this new strain. The spores of wheat rust are mostly carried by wind over long distances and across continents, according to the agency.

“Global wheat yields could be at risk if the stem rust spreads to major wheat producing countries,” said FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf.
Of course the Ministry of Agriculture denies its existence. People will not tell them as they fear loosing their jobs. Corruption is a very bad thing and it can cause untold problems as it stifles the natural flow of data. Nothing like fine islamic science and administration at work in this so-called "moderate" nation. 50% literacy rate (30% for women), GDP per capita of $900 99% for both men and women and GDP per capita of $43,500 (this is the USA) Posted by DaveH at April 17, 2007 5:55 PM
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