[Economics] A banana variety resistant to Fusarium Race 4, which is being evaluated in Australia, appears as a new option for the Ecuadorian banana sector

[FRIDAY THE 13]

Banano QCAV-4 is bioengineered to resist FOC R4T and has been tested for six years on the oceanic continent.

The 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 this new variety passes the tests in that country, it would offer a safety net against the plague that affects banana plantations and other Musaceae, highlighted José Antonio Hidalgo, executive director of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE).

The plague has already been present in the region since 2019 when it was detected in Colombia, in 2021 it arrived in Peru and in January of this year Venezuela confirmed the appearance of the fungus. Ecuador has not yet reported the disease.
Meanwhile, the banana sector, through the banana cluster, has already imported a variety, but tolerant to the pest, which is Formosana 218, which was carried out through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the Regulatory Agency and Plant and Zoosanitary Control (Agrocalidad) and the National Institute of Agricultural Research (Iniap).

The Formosana 218 variety is native to Taiwan and is already being used in the Philippines and Central American countries such as Honduras and Costa Rica. In addition, the importation of another tolerant variety, the gal from Israel, is in process.

The arrival of this tolerant variety occurred after having complied with the current legal regulations of the Organic Law of Agricultural Health (LOSA) and the Organic Law of Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture (Loasfas).

Meanwhile, QCAV-4 bananas, developed in partnership with the Australian government and industry, have been grown in field trials in the Northern Territory of Australia for over six years and have proven highly resistant to the disease. Fusarium, reported AEBE through a statement.

The new banana variant is currently being evaluated by the Australian Government regulatory authorities, the Office of Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) and the Food Standards of 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 rules have so far limited the impact of the race 4 disease on most of the Australian industry, however it has been found in parts of North Queensland and has decimated the commercial banana industry of the Northern Territory.
For his part, Hidalgo indicated that the country needs to have the largest number of varieties being tested on Ecuadorian soil due to the proper biosafety and entry processes that must be managed, in order to see the reactions that these varieties have regarding productivity in the future. flavor and that adapts to the Ecuadorian soil.

“This new variety would reach the country depending on the efforts made by the MAG, there are options abroad. You have to make the arrangements, today there is only one variety in the country formosana 218, and there are others outside that just motivate to have the largest number being tested, "added the leader.

However, while regulatory approval from OGTR and FSANZ would support the environmental and food safety of QCAV-4, there are no plans to grow or sell QCAV-4 bananas to consumers in Australia at this time, AEBE explained.
https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/economia/una-variedad-de-banano-resistente-al-fusarium-raza-4-que-se-evalua-en-australia-aparece-como-nueva-opcion-para-el-sector-bananero-ecuatoriano-nota/