The Fusarium Race 4 has once again put the region on alert, this time due to an unconfirmed alarm of the presence of the fungus in Venezuela. On April 7, there already was a detection in Peru.
Kléber Sigüenza, director of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Second Zone of Ecuador, said this in a statement last Tuesday, during a virtual conversation between the banana cluster and the media.
Another topic of the conversation was the Banana Day event. Juan José Pons, coordinator of the banana cluster, stated that 538 people from 38 countries connected to the Banana Day program, where topics were broadcast highlighting the importance of the Latin American banana industry and specifically Ecuador. There was also time for a discussion on Fusarium Race 4 and the actions taken to prevent it.
Ecuadortimes.net quoted Pons as saying: “The national protection plan for the control of Fusarium is of vital importance for the sector today, we already have a presence in Peru and more than a year ago it was confirmed in Colombia, that it did a very good job of containment and hopefully Peru can do it efficiently; we have an alert in Venezuela.” He, however warned that it is not confirmed, adding “we cannot make further speculations about it”.
For its part, the Agency for the Regulation and Control of Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary (Agrocalidad) has not issued information on the alleged presence of the fungus in Venezuela.