Panama disease and Black Sigatoka
New opportunities to control sickness in banana sector
Bananas are the most important source of food for more than 400 million people in the tropics. Bananas are the number four on the list of most consumed food plants, most consumed non-grain plant and finally the banana is the most eaten piece of fruit in the world.
The worldwide banana production, however, is under heavy pressure as a result of fungi, which attack banana plants. In this way the earnings of millions of people are threatened by Panama disease. This disease is caused by a fungus, which destroys entire banana plantations and pollutes the soil for tens of years. At the moment there are no means as yet to root out the Panama disease, whilst the sickness threatens the production of bananas in the whole of Southeast Asia. Another sickness also caused by a fungus, Black Sigatoka, is a worldwide problem as well. This disease forces banana growers to use more and more means of protection all the time. As a result plants become resistent and the environment is affected.
The PromoBanana (Protect and Modernize Philippine Banana production) public- private cooperation arrangement (PPS) addresses the development of a service laboratory for all banana producers: from small farmers to companies producing on an industrial scale for the export market. Most PromoBanana partners already work together with Wageningen UR in other banana research programs. PromoBanana makes it possible to translate the technologies, knowledge and services obtained in these research programs to and apply in the banana sector.
With these banana research programs Wageningen UR and its partners combine fundamental knowledge of banana diseases with assessment of banana production methods in order to make banana orchards healthy again worldwide. In that way Wageningen UR assist in the improvement of the quality of life of millions of people.
The total budget of PromoBanana amounts to 31 million Euro including a subsidy of 1.9 million Euro from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and contributions of the partners BLGG AgroXpertus, ClearDetections, Unifrutti Services Inc., NEH Philippines, DANA Foundation, the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the AMA company group/AMA training systems on the Philippines.
For more information about Panama disease
See our website: www.panamadisease.org
