Initiatives Ecuador is Taking to Prevent Fusarium Race 4

Global banana production is under a latent threat due to the devastating spread of the Fusarium Race 4 (Foc TR4) pest. Foc TR4 is the most destructive pest for bananas and one of the most dangerous diseases in agricultural history. Fusarium Race 4 arrived in Latin America in 2019 when the Colombian border became infected, later spreading to Peru in 2021. Foc TR4 is not only transmitted from plant to plant but also travels between countries in contaminated soil or adhering to the footwear or boots people who come from the affected areas wear, making it highly spreadable and hard to control. Ecuador faces a massive risk to Foc TR4 since the two neighboring countries, Colombia and Peru, are infected.

The Ecuadorian Government and the National Emergency Operations Committee (COE) released a National Strategy for the Prevention, Detection, and Pest Control of Foc TR4. The strategy establishes five parts with steps to (1) prevent Foc TR4 in Ecuador, (2) detect Foc TR4, (3) prevent the spread of the pest once it hits the first Ecuadorian farm, (4) control its effect once it hits various Ecuadorian farms, and (5) conduct phytosanitary management once it hits all productive states. Currently, the Ecuadorian government and Ecuadorian banana producers are focusing on preventing the entry of Fusarium Race 4 into the country.

Many parties are involved in the prevention strategy for Foc TR4, including government agencies, airports, airlines, ports, agricultural committees, research institutions, producers, and others. Some of the most relevant steps the actors follow include the establishment and communication of a national contingency strategy, the disinfection of containers and footwear of passengers entering the country, the communication and training campaigns, and the testing of imported plants and soil, the disinfection of agricultural tools, among others. The government and producers are counting on many parties to avoid the entry of Foc TR4, and so far, these initiatives have been effective.

The government and research associations are promoting the plantation of banana varieties resistant to Fusarium Race 4. The Ecuadorian Littoral Polytechnic School is looking to develop banana varieties resistant to Fusarium Race 4 with radiation technology. Until Ecuador creates banana varieties resistant to the fungus, the government will be importing resistant varieties to start their harvesting. In April 2022, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency, and the National Institute of Agricultural Research imported 4,620 invitro banana plants resistant to Fusarium Race 4, the Formosana GCTCV-218. Currently, these plants are under quarantine and investigations are ongoing to assure their quality for planting in Ecuadorian land.

Fusarium Race 4 has the potential to damage an entire plantation. According to Tridge’s Engagement Manager in Ecuador Douglas Montiel, a Foc TR4 attack in Ecuador would be deadly for the country's economy. Producers protect their plantations by implementing disinfection arches for people and cars, and by disinfecting tires. Prevention techniques are an investment that only large and medium-sized producers can make, leaving small producers unprotected. Producers are hopeful that government initiatives will help prevent the country from Fusarium TR4 despite the high risk of infection Ecuador faces due to neighboring countries.