AEBE and provincial government officials devise plan for monitoring teams to inspect and control plantations
The Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE) has signed a cooperative agreement with government officials in the province of Los Ríos to combat the devastating diseases Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4) and Bacterial Moko.
The partnership, which was agreed last week, includes a plan to establish specialised biosecurity ‘brigades’ that will monitor, prevent, and control the spread of the diseases, which threaten banana plantations across the area.
Los Ríos, a major banana-producing region, is said to be particularly vulnerable to these plant pathogens.
The inspection teams will include specialist technicians who will carry out inspections on vulnerable farms.
They will be responsible for delivering biosecurity kits, monitoring high-risk areas using satellite technology, and detecting infection hotspots.
“These actions not only seek to mitigate the spread of Fusarium TR4 and Bacterial Moko,” said an AEBE spokesperson, “but also to strengthen the sustainability and productivity of banana plantations, which are essential for the economy of Los Ríos and Ecuador.”
Accoording to Ecuador’s Banana Statistical Observatory, a total of 2,637ha in the country have been affected by the presence of Moko in the province of Los Ríos.
Meanwhile, AEBE said banana exports continued to slow – up to August, a total of 4.6m boxes fewer (-1.83 per cent) were shipped compared with the same period of 2023.
