A recent epidemic Fusarium Race 4 in Peru is flooding Ecuador’s banana production sector due to several factors, one of which is proximity, as the area where it was discovered, Sullana, in the department of Piura, is only 290 kilometers from Huaquillas, a border town in El Oro Province, one of the largest of banana producers in Ecuador, along with Los Ríos and Guayas.
Plague arrived in the region in 2019, when it was first detected in La Guajira, Colombia, and in January of this year, its presence was confirmed in three states of Venezuela.
A new outbreak of Fusarium race 4 in Peru has sparked alarm in Ecuador, which claims it is plague-free
In the neighboring country to the south, it is the second detected outbreak, after the first case was confirmed in 2021, also in the department of Piura. However, the geographical issue takes a backseat when Ecuadorian producers face problems covering the first challenge to prevent the arrival of fungi on their farms: the economic factor.
According to Franklin Torres, president of the National Banana Federation (Fenabe), the sector has been facing an economic crisis for more than three years, caused by the export sector’s alleged non-compliance with the official price of a box of bananas. For this year the minimum support price is $6.50, in 2022 and 2021 it was $6.25, although in the latter year a price table ranging from $4.50 to $6.60 per box was in effect and it depended on the weekly schedule. Meanwhile, in 2019, the current price was $6.30.
Worried, Torres said that due to the economic crisis, most farms in the country have a shortage of fertilizer and work. “This leads us to a state of tendency to enter into Fusarium and it can be dispersed at the country level… If the economic conditions of the producers are so low, it will be impossible for them to invest in biosecurity measures”, the leader warned.
He reminded that this year about 3 million boxes did not sign export contracts, which, according to him, only intensified the economic problems in the production sector, which also “has prices below the minimum support for four months.” Now there is no excuse that the price is low, there is no effect of the war that should have affected the market with Russia, there is no effect of the pandemic that was used in previous years.
1,500 dollars per year per hectare is invested in biological security
This, even more when it is in the calculation a priori, He assured that each producer must invest close to 1,500 dollars per hectare per year in biosecurity measures to prevent the arrival of fungi.
He reminded that after the pest infects the plant, it takes about four months to die, and after that, no species of Musaceae can be planted in that infected land for at least 30 years, which represents a great risk for the country, because the fruit is one of the main export products that generates an average of more than USD 3,200 million in foreign currency annually.
In the first half of 2023 alone, Ecuador earned $1,990 million from the export of bananas and plantains to its various destinations, with a growth of 17% in value and 8% in volume.
From $0.08 to $0.13 per box of bananas, measures to prevent the entry of Fusarium race 4 are added to the cost of production.
As for the $1,500 per hectare, Torres indicated that the funds should be used to install hedges, foot tub entrances, lockers, materials (boots and uniforms) and tools typical of farms, although he lamented that currently farms nor even have their plantations fenced or demarcated. “You don’t know where one farm ends and another farm ends, this is really worrying, it’s a problem for the government that should have established a policy of control and biosecurity for banana producers.”
Adding to the economic problem is the climate, as the president of Fenabe assured that there are areas where 4000 millimeters of rain fall. “There are farms that are affected by the economic crisis, others are affected by a harsh winter… It is something completely unusual and the rain continues, and this really creates a drop in productivity and production in the plants,” complained Torres.
“Manufacturers who sell in stains They shouldn’t have any liquidity problems.”
The export sector assured that after the first case Fusarium races 4 in Colombia, in 2019, began their efforts to improve biosecurity conditions. Richard Salazar, executive director of the Ecuadorian Banana Marketing and Export Association (Acorbanec), indicated that the sector has asked the government to provide resources to institutions such as the National Institute for Agricultural Research (Iniap) and the Agency for Regulation, Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Control ( Agrocalidad), in order to adopt measures that control pests outside the borders.
“We continue to ask for the same and to provide funds, because it is useless to pass regulations if these institutions are not equipped and not provided with resources,” said Salazar. Another initiative was the importation of tolerant varieties such as Formosana 218, which was imported in 2022 and is kept under surveillance in Iniap.
In two years, artificial intelligence is expected to help prevent pests such as Fusarium race 4 in the countries of the Andean Community
Regarding the accusations of the production sector about the alleged disrespect of the exporters by not paying the official price to the producers, Salazar pointed out that it is about a certain group of producers who sell in place.
“It’s more the same, they live in the moment, I think they tell half-truths, they demand respect for the law when they don’t respect it, they were asked to sign contracts, they didn’t, they preferred to sell. in stains because the price was high, but when the price went down, everything is wrong, but they don’t say that they receive prices of 9, 10 and 11 dollars, last week the average price of a box of bananas was 8 dollars. When you have more income, you have to save it for times of lower income,” said Chief Ačorbanec.
However, he admitted that the vast majority of producers were working on phytosanitary preventive measures against Fusarium race 4 and other pests such as black sigatoka.
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Source: Eluniverso
Alia is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 news agency. She writes on various topics from economy news to general interest pieces, providing readers with relevant and informative content. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
