Bangkok, The Tapioca Starch Association together with the Tapioca Development Institute of Thailand Foundation announced that they are concerned about the export situation of Thai cassava which has been continuously plagued by leaf spot disease causing export sales to decrease every year. Pointing out the problem of leaf spot disease, there is no medicine to suppress it, so we have to find durable varieties to plant instead. Therefore, I would like the government sector to help find an urgent solution before the industrial sector and farmers suffer even more. Mr. Chumpol Kajonchalermsak The presidents of the Cassava Starch Association and the Tapioca Development Institute of Thailand Foundation revealed that both organizations are aware of the problem of Thai cassava leaf spot disease that has spread in Thailand since 2018. The problem is causing an impact on cassava cultivation. from cassava to export volumes of both cassava and tapioca starch products have dropped alarmingly. The total area for cultivation of Thai cassava is more than 9 million rai, but from the effects of the leaf variegation outbreak, it has affected more than 3 million rai of cultivation area, and if we do not hurry to fix the cultivation area, it will continue to decrease. Moreover, it does not only affect farmland. It also affected the Thai cassava exports which decreased significantly. The total Thai cassava exports in 2023 decreased in volume by 30%, representing a decrease in value of 16.62% or 127,407 million baht compared to 2022, resulting in the demand for cassava products decreasing by as much as 20-30% or causing the value of the industry to decrease by approximately 50,000 million baht and may continue to decrease in the next year as well. by cassava It is an important economic crop of the country. There are approximately 700,000 households who grow cassava and create employment in the processing industry and industry. There are no less than 1 million people in the continuous industry. Thailand has been the number one exporter o f cassava products in the world for more than 20 years. In the past, the export value was as high as 150,000 baht per year and for internal use approximately 50,000 baht. million baht per year. The total value including the cassava industry is approximately 200,000 million baht and there is also an ongoing industrial value of more than 300,000 million baht. It is considered an industry with enormous value. It is very important to the economic system of Thailand. and currently the Thai cassava industry must face a crisis of lack of production Very insufficient to meet demand Especially in the past 2-3 years of production. Thai cassava production has decreased from the past, which produced more than 30-33 million tons per year, to only about 24-26 million tons per year, as well as the quality of the product has decreased. causing the cost of producing products to increase greatly 'If the situation continues like this It will affect the ability to compete. As a result, Thai cassava products are no longer able t o maintain their leadership position in the world market due to the decreased cassava production. There is an important cause of the outbreak of cassava leaf disease. It is a newly emerging disease outbreak in Thailand for the first time in 2018. It is caused by the Sri Lankan strain of Cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV/ which is carried by whiteflies and the introduction of disease- causing disease strains. Continue planting There is a shortage of clean, disease-free plants. Rhod-susceptible varieties and those that already have rhod are used to grow and expand. Although in the past the government and related agencies have tried to solve the problem,' Mr. Chumphon said. However, at present it is still not possible to eliminate or control the outbreak causing damage to cassava production. The private sector estimates that the outbreak of cassava leaf disease has been found in Thailand at not less than 3 million rai, out of the entire country's cassava cultivation area of ??approximately 9 million rai, or approx imately 30 percent of the total cultivation area. If all involved parties do not seriously and concretely solve the problem, There is no effective enough solution. The private sector believes that within a short period of time The cassava leaf spot disease will spread to cultivated areas throughout the country. Cause great damage and disaster to the industry. Both organizations are aware of the dangers. Improved plant varieties and used plant disease control methods together with Kasetsart University were able to select the first 3 varieties resistant to cassava leaf spot disease and received the Royal Award from His Royal Highness Prince Kanitthathirachao Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn includes Itthi 1, Itthi 2 and Itthi 3. There is also research and development of disease resistant hybrids. in order to have better productivity Although not as tall as the Kasetsart 50 variety, all 3 varieties are commercially worthwhile for use. Replant in areas with dise ase outbreaks. To help stop the spread of disease effectively and effectiveness The goal is to use resistant varieties to cover cultivated areas throughout Thailand within 5 years to enable the agricultural sector and the cassava industry. The entire Thai system maintains sustainable competitiveness. Therefore, we would like the government to quickly find measures to help by procuring durable varieties to distribute to farmers who grow cassava.-541-Thai News Agency Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) is caused by Cassava Mosaic Virus, a virus that affects the growth of cassava. It causes variegated leaves, stunted plants and reduced yield. The outbreak has entered South Asia in Sri Lanka and India, and only the SLCMV (Sri Lankan Cassava Mosaic Virus) strain has spread into Cambodia. Rattanakiri Province in 2016 and Vietnam Teninh Province Vietnam and Cambodia in 2017 and spread into Thailand through the Thai-Cambodian border provinces of Sisaket, Buri, Ram, and Prachinburi in 2018. The Foundation is aware of the dangers of this cassava leaf disease. Since 2016, we have jointly spread the word about the dangers. and the impact that this will have on the country's cassava production and emphasized the need to address the spread of lemurs in Africa and South Asia. For this cassava leaf spot disease, there is no cure and no corrective measures other than the use of appropriate leaf spot resistant varieties. Change for farmers to grow all over the country only alone By coordinating with experts around the world, the Foundation conducted a research project to develop CMD resistant varieties together with Kasetsart University in 2017 and received cooperation from the Center. International Tropical Agriculture (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, CIAT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA) and brought in 5 CMD resistant strains from ITA in 2018 for canal planting through plant disease control inspection of the Department of A griculture. The results of testing during 2018-2023 have selected 3 strains that have a high level of resistance to leaf blight (Tables 1 and 2) and are suitable for growing in Thailand, including TME B419 strain. , IITA-TMS-IBA980581 and ITA-TMS-IBA920057 and the project has donated 17,000 seedlings of all 3 species to the foundation. In March 2023 Source: Thai News Agency