Some of the largest banana producers in San Bartolo (Mexico) said the rains led to the proliferation of black sigatoka fungus in much of the production.
The rains make this fungus a very aggressive disease on terms of production and can cause economic losses of up to 50 and 80%. In extreme cases, it can cause total losses. The black sigatoka is caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis fungus, which dries the plant's leaves, stopping the production of banana or resulting in bad quality that can't be sold.
The producer said that the banana producers should look for alternatives so they wouldn't be affected by the black sigatoka, because it is very difficult to eradicate once the plant's leaves are affected. The farmers who do not have resources or enough government support to recover will be the most affected.
Currently, there are 523 active producers of bananas, and all have been affected by the black sigatoka.
Source: Eltuxtepecano.com