The Ecuadorian banana sector is considering importing the first variety resistant to Fusarium Race 4, called Banana QCAV-4, which is being evaluated in Australia, where the fungus was detected in 2015. If the new variety passes the tests in that country, it would happen. to offer a safety net against the pest that affects Musaceae plantations, explained José Antonio Hidalgo, executive director of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE).
Lues was already present in the country since 2019, when it was detected in Colombia, in 2021 it came to Peru and in Venezuela in January of this year the appearance of the fungus was confirmed. Ecuador has not yet reported the disease.
Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian Banana Sector, fixed by its cluster, already imports various varieties, but is tolerant to the pest, which is Formosana 218, which through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Agency Phytosanitary Regulation and Control (MAG), Agency Phytosanitary Agrocalidad) and the National Institute Agricultural Research (Iniap).
The Formosana 218 variety originated in Taiwan and is now used in the Philippines and the Central American countries of Honduras and Costa Rica. In addition, the importation of another patient variety, gal from Israel, is in progress.
The arrival of this more tolerant variety happened after complying with the current laws of the Organic Law of Agricultural Health (LOSA) and the Organic Law of Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture (Loasfas).
Meanwhile, QCAV-4 strains, in partnership with the Ecuadorian government and Australian industry, have been grown in field trials in that country’s Northern Territory for six years and are highly resistant to Fusarium disease, AEBE reported. by announcement.
The new banana variant is currently being evaluated by the Australian Government Regulatory Authorities, the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). If the Australian government approves this variety, it would be available in about five years.
Australia’s world-class biosecurity has only had the impact of Type 4 disease on most of Australia’s industry, although it was found in parts of North Queensland and has decimated the Northern Territory’s banana industry.
For his part, Hidalgo indicated that the region has the largest variety tested in Ecuadorian soil due to the appropriate biosecurity and entry procedures that must be handled to see the movements that these varieties have in the future of productivity. flavor and adapt to the Ecuadorian soil.
“For this new variety to reach the country according to MAG works, the options are outside. To order you, today there is only one variety in the Formosan region, 218, and there are others outside that will soon contribute to the maximum number approved,’ added the prince.
However, with regulatory approval from OGTR and FSANZ supporting QCAV safety and environmental issues, there are no plans to develop or sell QCAV-4 trucks to users in Australia at this time to develop AEBE.
