GOVERNOR Rodolfo del Rosario asked key players of the banana sector to be resolute in protecting the top export of Davao del Norte from the onslaught of Fusarium wilt.
As a pioneer of the industry, Del Rosario appealed to banana growers and farmers to shield their plantations from Fusarium infection, which threatens to wipe out the number one source of revenue for the province.
“It is important for us to protect our banana farms from the disease, as this will directly affect the economy of the province,” the governor told stakeholders during the recent provincial forum on cavendish banana, adding:
“You cannot imagine should our banana industry be wiped out,” he stressed.
Also commonly known as Panama disease, Fusarium wilt infection has already ravaged more than 600 hectares of bananas in the Davao region, endangering the $720-M industry of Southern Mindanao, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
As a leading producer of the export commodity, Davao del Norte devotes about 39,000 hectares to cavendish banana production, or close to 50 percent of the total banana production area in Region 11.
As there is no known cure yet for the Panama disease, Del Rosario enjoined plantations to set up strict quarantine measures and employ footbaths, while following other preventive actions recommended by authorities in order to stop the disease from spreading to other farms. He also directed the provincial agriculturist’s office (PAGRO) to launch a massive early detection and prevention campaign, as the best way to fight the dreaded banana disease.
PAGRO chief Dominador Encarnacion Jr, said his office has started conducting an information and education campaign to let the public know more about the soil-borne fungal infestation that has begun to spread in banana plantations across the province.
He recommended five steps for banana farms and individuals to follow for curbing the spread of the Fusarium wilt fungi. (1) strict quarantine measures within the farms; (2) burning of infected areas within 24 hours, preferably using rice hull burning method; (3) setting up footbaths at road networks connecting banana farms; (4) preventing unauthorized persons and animals from loitering within plantations; and (5) enactment of local ordinances to institutionalize ground rules and regulations on preventing the spread of the virulent banana plague.
