CAVENDISH BANANA PROBLEM ON DESTRUCTIVE PANAMA DISEASE SOLVED BY FILIPINO SCIENTISTS, PATHOLOGISTS

Ang galing ng Pilipino!
Practical Farm Study Solves
Destructive Panama Disease
Last week, I visited a 371-hectare Cavendish Banana Farm in Valencia City, Bukidnon following reports that a team of Filipino plant pathologists and technicians was able to come up with a system to address a very destructive banana disease, Fusarium Wilt.
Fusarium Wilt or Panama Disease, a soil-inhabiting fungus, had long been a problem among the growers of Cavendish Banana, a variety which is one of Mindanao's major export commodity.
The disease kills the standing banana and many farmers had to abandon their farms or shift to other products because of the devastation of Fusarium Wilt.
The Manupali Agri Development Corporation plantation owned by Unifrutti Philippines in Valencia City was one of the farms devastated by Fusarium Wilt to the point that between 2010 and 2014 workers were terminated because there was nothing to do in the farm.
A group of Filipino agriculturists and plant pathologists headed by Jose Barrosa, general manager of the farm, and Lalaine Albano Narreto, a plant pathologist, started a trial and error experiment.
Six years later, they were able to bring the farm back to life and about 1,000 workers are now back in the farm.
This major breakthrough in addressing Fusarium Wilt has a great impact on the economy of Mindanao as the commercial Cavendish Banana farms now estimated at 90,000 hectares is a major jobs provider and dollar-earner for the country.
This development could help Mindanao's economic recovery in the face of the difficulties brought about by the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Here, in this short video presentation, the team shares what they did to address the Panama Disease devastation which now gives hope to other banana farmers in Mindanao.
The Mindanao Development Authority commends the team for this major accomplishment and thanks Unifrutti Philippines for sharing this with other Cavendish Banana farmers.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#FarmIsTheBestClassroom!
(The video presentation was prepared by the media team of the Mindanao Development Authority.)