PHAMA Plus, MAFF and Nishi Farming organised and hosted 6 well attended weekly trainings for watermelon growers in Tongatapu in an effort to improve good farming practices.
One of the main foci is for the farmers to be able to identify different fungal diseases that affect watermelon and how to properly treat them.
Recent training sessions were focused on signs and symptoms of Gummy stem and Blight as well as Anthracnose. In-house training is followed immediately by a field trip to enable growers to identify the various diseases that were discussed.
PHAMA Plus provides practical and targeted assistance to help Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, manage regulatory issues associated with exporting agricultural products. New Zealand has contributed NZ$13 million over four years (2018 – 2022) to PHAMA Plus in equal partnership with Australia.
Photo supplied