According to a report from the Provincial Agriculture Office, small-scale banana growers have switched to grains production after the Panama Disease kept spreading in sprawling banana farms of Davao del Norte. This came out in the agency’s recent monitoring of the total hectarage of agricultural crops, especially for rice and corn areas in Davao del Norte.
From 7,000 hectares several years ago, corn production areas in Davao del Norte have now reached more than 10,000 hectares.
PAGRO Senior Agriculturist and Provincial Corn Focal, Omar T. Ayco, attributed the shifting of crops to the “wide devastation” caused by Fusarium Wilt, or Panama Disease, infestation that has affected banana plantations but which has the dire consequence on small-scale banana farms due to costly management and preventive measures.
He said farmers are now planting their former banana farms with rice or corn, especially with the assistance provided by a special PAGRO program.
Source: businessmirror.com.ph
