Representatives of the private sector, international organizations, and producers from Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico met at a forum organized by the Global Alliance against the R4T and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) where they exchanged experiences on good practices in banana management and in the prevention of the entry and control of Fusarium oxysporum cubense Tropical Race 4 (FOC R4T).
The panelists agreed on the importance of focusing the sector's efforts on prevention and training, on genetic improvement to mass produce new banana varieties that are resistant to the disease, and on the development of control methods to increase plant resistance and to stop the transmission of the fungus.
The dispersion of the Fusarium Tropical race 4 (R4T) fungus represents a very serious threat to Mexico because banana cultivation is one of the country's most profitable and widely distributed agroecosystems, as it is cultivated in 15 of the country's states.
According to Diego Montenegro, IICA Representative in Mexico, as a result of the relevance of banana production, all food chains could be in danger if joint actions are not taken.
Marianella Ubilla, president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE), said Ecuador needed to shield banana plantations with a high risk of being contaminated with R4T fusariosis given the free human mobility on the borders with Colombia and Peru. She also said they needed financial products aimed at producers to combat this pest.
Román Octavio Pacheco Gómez, a technician of the Agricultural Association of Banana Producers of Soconusco (Chiapas, Mexico), highlighted the situation of banana plantations with a high risk of being contaminated with FOC R4T in that region, given the free human mobility on its border with Guatemala.
Sebastián Zapata, the director of the Banana Research Center (CENIBANANO) of the Banana Association of Colombia (AUGURA), spoke about the management of banana plantations with FOC R4T in Colombia. Finally, Jorge Sauma, the General Manager of the National Banana Corporation (CORBANA) of Costa Rica, spoke about the current high risk of contamination there was for Costa Rica's banana plantations.
Source: iica.int