Gov’t, growers work to stop fungus damage on banana plantations
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DAVAO CITY – Despite the extensive damage wrought by a dreaded disease, the government and banana growers are optimistic joint efforts will help curb, if not totally eradicate, the fusarium wilt.
The disease — popularly known as Panama virus — has proven to be destructive and virulent to banana plantations in the area.
Fusarium wilt is a lethal fungal disease caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysforum sp. cubense that attacks the vascular system of the banana, preventing it from picking up water.
Virgilio Gutierrez, the focal person of Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA-11) on fusarium wilt said the agency’s program to eradicate the dreaded banana disease started only last year with an allocation of R102.1 million budget, through its HighValue Crops Development Program (HVCDP).
“Malaki na ang damage ng Panama disease sa mga sagingan sa Davao region based on 2013 survey namin,” Gutierrez told the Manila Belletin here in an interview, adding that the agency has no data as to the exact number of hectares affected by such disease.
Gutierrez added that the difficulty in summarizing the extent of fusarium wilt damage in the region was due to the absence of data from the big banana plantations and corporations.
“We have a standing agreement with big banana companies in the region that they will take care of their affected areas by fusarium wilt while DA-11 will focus on surrounding small banana growers,” said Gutierrez
He said the agency and the big banana players are gaining ground in the fight against the disease as there were positive results seen last year.
Data from DA-11 said a total of 350.74 hectares of banana plants of small growers were affected by fusarium wilt last year consisting of 701,480 mats (a mat is composed of a mother banana plant and suckers).
Varieties of bananas affected include the Cavendish, saba/cardava, lacatan and latundan, the DA-11 added.
The R102.1- million budget to fight fusarium wilt was utilized for the procurement and production of Giant Cavendish Tissue Culture Variant or the (GCTCV-219), a banana variety that the DA have proven to be resistant against the Panama disease.
Gutierrez said that last year, plant pathologists from DA-11 were tasked to validate the areas of small growers in the region to study the extent of the damages caused by fusarium wilt.
“These areas were classified as 5 percent below which means lesser damage and the 5 percent above which is higher in damage brought about by the said disease,” he clarified.
Areas under 5- percent below in damages, after validation by plant pathologists were supported in the buying and production of planting materials GCTV-219 to allow the growers to recover.
Those that were validated of having damages 5 percent above will undergo eradication of existing plants by burning using any materials except for plastic and rubber.
The process of eradication, he said, required the complete burning of infected mother plants and their suckers.
“DA- 11 will pay the growers at R500per mat destroyed. Then, aside from planting the resistant banana variety, growers are also advised to go into crop shifting into other plants such as cacao and coffee,” Gutierrez said.
The agency has already downloaded funds to combat fusarium wilt to the affected provinces and city in Davao region: R34.280 million in Davao del Norte; R15.443 million in Compostela Valley; R5.136 million in Davao del Sur; and R5.123 million in Davao City.
In its summary report last year, DA11 said it has already validated around 478.67 hectares of banana plantations of small growers from its total target of 600 hectares or 60,000 mats.
Of the total validated, 74.40 hectares or 7,440 mats were recommended for eradication, the report added.
A total of 651.83 hectares or 969,335 mats out of the total target of 804 hectares were also recommended for planting of GCTCV 219 last year.
Of the total target, 9.8 hectares were already planted or a total of 14,700 GCTCV 219 seedlings were distributed to banana growers in the area.
Despite the impact of fusarium wilt to banana plantations in the region, banana remains as the top export item in the Davao region.
Data from the Regional Development Council in the region (RDC-11) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-11) said banana exports in the area totaled $219.4 million; followed by coconut copra at $152.2 million; and activated carbon with $56.9 million.
Most of the bananas in the region last year were exported to Japan with a total value of $188.6 million, the RDC-11 data added.
Though last year, the regions' total export declined by 39.8 percent during the first semester, figuring only to $716.6 million compared with $1.19 billion during the first semester of 2014.
“The validation, eradication and distribution of GCTCV 219 will continue this year,” Gutierrez emphasized, saying that growers whose areas had already gone eradication of infected bananas and had replaced them with the recommended resistant varieties expressed hope that the dreaded disease will be controlled, if not totally eradicated through the continuing government interventions.