The Scientific and technical Steering Committee joint meeting of the Epibio II OI and Bio control project for the South West Indian Ocean region was held in Seychelles from 20th to 21st April 2026 at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort and casino.
The meeting brought together directors, scientists, extension officers from Comoros, Mayotte, Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion, and Seychelles. During the two- day meeting, member states had the opportunity to present research findings, discuss best practices, and identify a way forward, as the project continues its implementation phase from 2023 to 2027.
On the 22nd, the participants had the chance to visit the Plant Health and crop research station at Anse Boileau, the Plant Health laboratory, and two farms at Grand Anse. During the farm visits at Anse Boileau and Grand Anse Mahe, insect samples were collected to update the Seychelles Pest list for the PRPV (Plant Protection Network in the SW Indian Ocean) database, which was last updated in 2018/19. Seychelles is expected to continue the insect collection exercise at various farmers’ fields until the end of 2026 to further strengthen and update this database.
During this time, representatives from CIRAD Reunion (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development) had the chance to exchange a defective Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) machine, which was donated to Seychelles under another project from the same sponsors.
It is to be noted that this initiative, which mainly focuses on the management of pests and emerging plant diseases in the field of epidemiological surveillance and biocontrol in the South-West Indian Ocean, also promotes the sustainable protection of the environment and environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The project is co-financed by the European Union, the Reunion Region, and CIRAD as part of the INTERREG VI Indian Ocean programme. Europe is committed to Reunion Island with the Interreg VI Indian Ocean fund.
