The production sector warns the government about the risks of importing bananas from Ecuador

The Confederação da Agricultura e Pecuária do Brasil (CNA) participated, last Tuesday (30), in a meeting with the ministers of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, and of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, to discuss the risks of importing bananas from Ecuador. The meeting was arranged by sector associations, such as Conaban, Abanorte, Abavar, and Febanana. The producers expressed concern about the possibility of the entry of the quarantine pest Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race tropical 4 (TR4), which is absent in Brazil. According to the information presented, the disease threatens varieties of the Cavendish group, such as banana nanica and banana prata, which are the main national crops and consumption. The entities emphasized the importance of the participation of the productive sector and research institutions in the Pest Risk Analyses (PRA), pointing out direct risks, such as the fruit being a source of inoculum, and indirect risks, due to contamination via packaging, ...