Presidential aspirant Panfilo Lacson said Friday he would support the establishment of banana research laboratories and reform the banana industry’s marketing system, given the challenges it faces, particularly the Fusarium wilt or Panama disease.
“Every time that there is a budget deliberation, I always add (budget) for research and development. Do you know that only a portion of the budget was allocated for research and development or 0.4 percent, wherein the ideal is at 2 percent?” Lacson said in an interview on the sidelines of their sortie at the city gymnasium here.
He noted that the country has a lot of homegrown talents, scientists, and researchers but they are not being properly funded.
“Again, research and development should be funded,” Lacson said.
Data obtained by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) from the Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 (Davao region) showed that as of 2021, a total of 16,743.26 hectares of banana plantations in the province have been affected by the Fusarium wilt.
“We will expect that the number will continue to rise because there is an ongoing validation of various local government units in the province,” Merriel Aglibot Bernardo, DA-11 high-value crops development program coordinator, told PNA in an interview.
Davao del Norte is a major contributor to the banana industry in the region. Its current production output, both for local and export markets, provides gainful economic opportunities in the entire banana value chain.
Bernardo said the initiative to put up an additional research laboratory would be very helpful in further assisting the banana farmers, not only in the region but in the entire country as well.
“It is very helpful. We are a top producer of bananas and there is a need to address problems concerning the industry,” she said.
Meanwhile, former agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the Fusarium wilt is the silent killer of the banana industry in Davao del Norte.
“When I was the secretary of agriculture, we established the Banana Industry Development Council to address the concern of the banana growers,” he said.
The Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne pathogen, a breed of fungus that is attracted to banana plants. It can live in dormancy for 30 years to 50 years.
The Fusarium fungi block plants’ vascular system deprives the plant of necessary minerals, nutrients, and moisture, causing it to turn yellow until it dies.
Source: Philippines News Agency
