$720-M banana industry wants govt help in fighting fungal pest

Fear of a fungal infestation endangering banana plantations has local banana growers asking the Philippine government for help in fighting Panama disease, or Fusarium wilt, in order to save the country’s export revenues. The Philippines is the number one exporter of bananas to China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, making bananas the Philippines’ second top dollar-earner next to coconut with $720 million in total export earnings for fresh Cavendish banana last year alone. The industry also employs 320,000 workers in 2010 with an annual payroll of P30 billion. Banana producers also remit to local governments P1.8 billion in tax revenues, while industry suppliers and contractors remit another P1.2 billion in taxes. But the Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) warned in a position paper that the government should help all stakeholders in concerted and sustainable efforts in mitigating the present threat of Panama Disease or Fusarium wilt, a soil-borne fungus that attacks roots and cannot be controlled by fungicides. “The Department of Agriculture in coordination with local government units, should fast-track the determination of the extent of the infestation especially when it comes to small banana farm growers," the group said in its paper. Fusarium wilt has already wiped out whole production areas in Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia, and the pathogen stays in the soil for decades. The highly-spreadable disease affects not only Cavendish but also other banana varieties, and there is still no known means to control the fungus. Holistic approach to banana diseases In September, PBGEA said that agriculture officials confirmed the infestation of Fusarium wilt fungi in banana plantations in Davao del Norte. But the banana group will soon turn over to the Department of Agriculture a protocol for the identification and distinction of the disease, which would be disseminated to banana growers. So now, the banana group is asking government to reactivate the Mindanao Banana Disease Task Force formed in 2006 to bring about a holistic approach in managing banana diseases. The group called for the establishment of a National Banana Research, Development and Extension Center to address the concerns of small banana farmers in terms of access to knowledge and technologies on banana farming including tissue-culture, breeding methods, policies and new production systems. The proposed center would speed up response to disease and pest outbreaks, and develop a Cavendish variety that is resistant to Panama disease. Bioversity International, a group helping banana growers, has pointed out that results of a field study in Davao City show that two Cavendish varieties are highly resistant to Panama disease. The most popular banana varieties are Philippine Cavendish, Cardava, Saba and Lacatan, which are exported as fresh fruit or as dried chips, catsup or fiber. The banana export industry at present has some 80,000 hectares of plantations, roughly 0.8 percent of Mindanao’s total land area, spread in 13 provinces – Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte. — MRT/VS, GMA News