Ministry of Agriculture steps up prevention measures against banana disease Fusarium TR4 with workshop, simulation exercise

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai said Belize must be prepared for Fusarium Wilt TR4, a deadline soilborne banana disease, which is present in South America in Colombia, Perú, and Venezuela.

“The relentlessness of TR4 suggests that it will eventually reach all banana producing areas in the Central American region, including Guatemala and  Belize, and as a result while we are hard at work and diligent trying to prevent TR4 from reaching our shores and to restrict its spread once it arrives, we  have to explore alternative management practices including biosecurity measures, the use of resistant varieties, amongst others,” Minister Mai at the opening of the Fusarium TR4 Workshop and Simulation Exercise at Dream Valley Resort in Teakettle, Cayo District  on Wednesday.

Mai said agriculture is one of the pillars of Belize’s economy, tourism being the other, and the banana industry is very pivotal within agriculture, and that’s the reason the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise (MAFSE) keeps updating the contingency response plan to TR4.

“Banana is Belize’s second largest agriculture export hovering between $70 and $90 million over the last 5 years, and at 6-8 ripe bananas for a dollar BZ, banana remains one of the cheapest fruits for the Belizean household to purchase and consume,” Minister Mai said in his opening remarks on Wednesday morning.

The members of the FOC TR4 task force that comprises technical officers from Republic of China-Taiwan, the Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health OIRSA, MAFSE, Belize Agriculture Health Authority (BAHA), University of Belize (UB), and Banana Growers Association (BGA), which was established to create national awareness on the potential threat of FOC TR4 to Belize, are all participating in the Workshop and Simulation Exercise.

 “Prevention is our best weapon,” OIRSA Country Representative Fermin Blanco said during the Opening. Blanco promised OIRSA will continue its collaborative efforts in the region to contain Fusarium TR4.

Elroy Foreman, Executive Director of Banana Growers Association, said the banana industry plays a crucial role in generating foreign exchange and is responsible for huge tangible development in the South. He said resiliency is necessary as Fusarium poses a great threat and the road ahead is full of challenges. However,  he said the simulation exercises, the one held in 2019 and the one being held, are important to face the disease. Foreman said the collaboration with Taiwan ICDF and OIRSA creates a combative force against the disease and recognized the collaboration of stakeholders in achieving positive outcomes.

Taiwan Ambassador Lily Li-Wen Hsu said Taiwan has learned to meet the challenge head on and they are willing to share their experiences with the Central American region to combat this banana disease.

Ambassador Wen Hsu said the collaboration with OIRSA, BAHA, the University of Belize, and the Banana Growers Association has already made great progress. She mentioned the Formosana, a banana TR4 resistant variety developed in Taiwan, which is being researched in Belize and will soon be put in the market.

She said Taiwan is proud of being a development partner of Belize and this collaborative project is an good example.

Dr Vincent Palacio, President of University of Belize, said, that as a Garifuna, he became concerned when he heard of Fusarium because bananas and plantains which are also affected by the disease, are essential to the Garifuna diet.

Dr Palacio recognized the efforts by MAFSE, BAHA, OIRSA, Taiwan, and other stakeholders in preparing to prevent the entry of the disease into Belize and learning how to combat and manage it as the disease could wipe out the banana industry.

He said the simulation exercise is crucial in combating Fusarium TR4 to protect Belize. He said bananas are such an important crop and closed saying he looked forward to the outcome of the forum.

BAHA’s Managing Director Zoe Zetina said all industry stakeholders are equally concerned about the threat of the introduction of Fusarium Tropical Race 4 into the banana industries of our region. She said BAHA is appreciative of the collaborative efforts

“We want to assure our colleagues from the OIRSA region, the industry and our farmers that we are committed to the common cause of keeping the disease out of Belize, our industry and the region,” Zetina ssaid.

“We are becoming technically prepared and we are being increasingly vigilant. We’re cooperating with all industry stakeholders and our developmental partners and we’re thankful for their unwavering support over all these years. We are gradually putting in place all the elements that are needed to prevent the introduction of this disease. But let us be very mindful that prevention is always better than any available cure.”

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