Ecuador increases preventive measures against Fusarium 4

Fusarium Race 4 is a disease that affects banana and plantain plantations, causing wilting and death of the plants. It is caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Patricio Almeida, executive director of the Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad), the phytosanitary authority of Ecuador, indicated that they have been working for more than 12 years on the detection and prevention of Fusarium in various aspects, mainly highlighting technical training and analysis of Agency officials. "We have specialized technicians based on Fusarium and we have all the laboratory identification methodologies." The executive added that "fortunately all the analyzes we have done have been negative, since in Ecuador the banana industry is a generator of foreign currency, employment and there are many companies that depend on bananas." Almeida explained that they have intensified disinfection in ports and airports by checking passengers, vehicles and containers. ...