Why These Certificates of Gratitude? [Archives:2000/52/Business & Economy]

By: Dr. Mohammed Y.
Al-Ghashm
A big celebration was conducted on Monday December 6th 1999 at the General Department of Plant Protection (GDPP) on the occasion of winning the International prize (Edward Saouma Award) for the years 98-99, which was given to Yemen as well as another country. Usually FAO grants this award every two years for the implementation of the protects of the technical cooperation program (TCP), which maintain the resources of production and protecting the environment from pesticides and other human activities.
This year the General Department of Plant Protection in the Ministry of Agriculture in Yemen won the prize for the good results in controlling the BROWN PEACH STEM APHID (BPSA) by using new bid-control approaches (parasite agents). This new method help to reduce the quantities of pesticides used in the campaign against this pest from 22 tons in 1995 to 25 tons in 1998 and protected around 6 million of stone and pome trees. Around two hundred thousands families of farmers (about one million people) depend on their income from the yield of stone and pome fruit trees.
The prize consist of silver medal, with the abbreviation of the General Department of Plant Protection (GDPP) in the ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MAI) in Yemen 1999 written on its face. On the other face are FAO abbreviations and a phrase written in Spanish, French and English languages: “For serving humanity.” The GDPP also received a certificate saying the following.
“To the staff of the plant protection department of the ministry of agriculture and irrigation, in recognition of their dedication and enthusiasm in implementing with particular efficiency a project funded by the technical cooperation program of FAO for emergency assistance for control of aphids.”
Additionally, a check of US$ 12,000 has been issued in the name of Yemen Plant Protection.
During the celebration, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation distributed the certificates of Gratitude to the staff of the GDPP for their successful campaign for control of the aphid, as well as to ambassadors of Germany, Japan and Holland and some other local and foreign institution for their kind support and participation on the successful control of the BPSA.
Due to the excellent support for development of the infrastructure of the GDPP during the last 20 years (1974 – 1994), this was done during the implementation of the Yemen-German Plant Protection project. The German embassy received a certificate from the Minister of Agriculture for establishing several types of laboratories (for identification of insects and diseases, pesticide formulation analysis and quality etc.) and some other plant protection utilities, qualifying a tenth of the GDPP staff in different levels during the life span of the project. During that period, the German and Yemeni experts conducted surveys for agricultural pests and the natural enemies available in the local environment. In addition to that they also conduct several studies, experiments and trials in searching for solutions to the main plant protection problems, as well as for their contribution on cleaning up obsolete pesticides from the country in 1996.
They also expressed their gratitude to the Japanese embassy for their kind and far-reaching assistance, which began in 1979. Japanese aid comes under the 2KR, which aims to increase food protection in Yemen. The average value of the annual Japanese aid reached 500 million J. Yen, this amount was allocated for purchasing of equipment, chemicals and fertilizers. The Japanese aid was used to control the desert locust and African armyworm and other migratory pests which threaten the cereal crops as well as the potato and legume harvests. Therefore, we can indicate that most of the agricultural offices in different governorates have purchased a tenth of their equipment with the Japanese grant aid.
The heavy-duty construction equipment is used to maintain wadis, terraces cultivated lands, irrigation channels, while the light equipment such as agricultural machinery are using for leveling, ploughing land and planting, harvesting, sorting and controlling pests by using different types of sprays. The volume of the Japanese aid was and still is playing a significant and efficient role in the field of increasing food production in Yemen.
Due to all this effective assistance, MAI provided this certificate to H.E. Ambassador of Japan. For the FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN that continues to support MAI under the development grant aid assistance and the “INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION PROJECT.”H.E. the ambassador of the Netherlands also received a certificate for their contribution and support in the campaign against BPSA and in supporting the training program for the extensions and farmers.
These training programs were for the new Bio-Control approaches, which reduce the chemicals and help maintain environmental health, in addition to their main contribution in funding the cleaning up of obsolete pesticides in the country during 1996. The certificate was also, for the participation in the preparation and funding of the new integrated pest management (IPM) project, which is expecting to be implemented during the year 2000. The IPM project is expected to achieve the following:
* Integration of IPM research into the national agricultural research system in the Republic of Yemen
* IPM options will be developed and validated for vegetables and fruit trees in the central highlands and for cotton and vegetables in Tehama plains.
* Eighty extension staff will have completed season long formal education methods, and gained program management skills.
* Farmer facilitated field schools will have been established in 350 sites.
* About 1200 field schools will have been implemented providing season-long IPM training to approximately 20,000 farmers.
* Participatory IPM research and extensions will have started for other crops such as cereals and lowland tropical crops.
* Improved knowledge by growers on IPM strategies for vegetable, fruit trees and cotton, and proper application methods.
* Increase public awareness of health hazards of pesticides.
FAO office also got a certificate for the efforts made to assist and support the aphid campaign, which resulted in establishing a bio-control unit at the GDPP. The certificate was also given due to the good supervision for the activities carried out during implementation of old projects and for the unlimited support for the desert locust and other migratory pest campaigns.
In the celebration, different local and foreign institutions got certificates of gratefulness for their support and participation for the plant protection activities, through building up the awareness of farmers by conducting training courses, field days and broadcasting the extension information.
Therefore, we feel that the gaining of this prize from FAO is very important, not only for the staff of the GDPP but for all Yemeni cadres at different institutions in the country. The decision, which was made in the meeting conducted on 12th November 1999 by the staff of the GDPP, was that the amount received from the prize should be used for strengthen the infrastructure of the GDPP. It reflects, without any doubt, their love to the country.
The GDPP staff understood that winning the prize put a heavy load on them, and therefore, they should continue their efforts in the future for increasing the protection, improving the quality of their work and protecting the environment. This will be undertaken through controlling the dangerous pests.

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