Lewis, S. 1997 The role of plant quarantine in the management and control of hibiscus mealybug in Trinidad and Tobago.. Proceedings of the 1st Seminar on the Hibiscus Mealybug Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources. Research Division. Centeno (Trinidad and Tobago)

Notes: [Conference: 1. Seminar on the Hibiscus Mealybug. Farmers' Training Centre, Centeno (Trinidad and Tobago). 12 Apr 1996.] The role of plant quarantine is to minimize the risks involved in the movement and introduction of plant pests into new areas. This is done by the inspection of plant material being imported or exported and by the institution of specific quarantine measures, under the Trinidad and Tobago Plant Protection Ordinance, 1940. The announcement of the presence of the hibiscus mealybug in Grenada in December, 1994 and its subsequent discovery in Trinidad and Tobago about July 1995 had a serious impact on intra-regional trade and forced many Caribbean islands (including Trinidad and Tobago) to amend their plant protection regulations. The Trinidad and Tobago regulations were amended to require import permits for all fruits, vegetables and planting material being imported. Domestic quarantines which existed more than fifty years ago were re-introduced to require inspection, and to restrict the movement of plant material within the twin-island state.