Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be used to strengthen pest prevention and management in the countries of the Andean Community of Nations: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia. This is after the organization’s General Secretariat and the Standards Implementation and Trade Promotion Fund (STDF) unveiled the Regional Phytosanitary Information Center project.

According to CAN, the priority of the project is the fight against Fusarium race 4 (FOC R4T), which attacks banana and plantain crops; and that it has already been discovered in Colombia (2019), Peru (2021) and Venezuela (2022). So far, Ecuador remains free from this scourge.

How much is Ecuador investing to protect its bananas from Fusarium Race 4?

This regional initiative, which is expected to be launched in about two years, includes a first diagnostic phase and a second implementation phase. For the collaboration of one million dollars from STDF, there will be a computer platform that will enable the generation of epidemiological information to take action in the event of a phytosanitary warning or emergency. The Secretary General of CAN, Diego Caicedo, pointed out that in 2022 alone, the sales of the agricultural sector of the member countries in the world amounted to a total of 21,676 million dollars, which represents an increase of 10.9% compared to the exports achieved in 2021. He stated that the project, in addition to preventing the entry of quarantine harmful organisms into CAN, seeks to preserve the phytosanitary status of the Andean countries.

“In this way, CAN marks the before and after in pest control and strengthens the export of agricultural products,” said Caicedo.

Venezuela confirms the presence of Fusarium Race 4 in plantations in three states

He added that the Regional Center will also provide support to the producers of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as well as the phytosanitary authorities against outbreaks or invasions of pests, will promote the formation of an international advisory network for pests of economic importance in the region and will strengthen the capacity of national officials in aspects such as are surveillance, monitoring, risk and integrated pest management through training courses and exchange of experiences.

He also emphasized that this initiative was born as a project of the Andean Committee for Health in Agriculture (Cotasa), which will be in charge of guaranteeing the positioning, sustainability and success of the Regional Center for Phytosanitary Intelligence of the Andean Community.