* Ecuador’s agriculture and livestock ministry (MAG) has signed an agreement with the international regional organisation for agricultural health (OIRSA) to try to prevent the entry of the destructive fungus Fusarium Oxysporum Race 4 into Ecuador.
Efrian Medina, OIRSA’s executive director, affirmed that “
without being alarmist, we have to be realistic” to support Ecuador, where banana exports represent 2% of nominal GDP and approximately 35% of agricultural GDP. The specialised members of OIRSA’s technical team will be in Ecuador for approximately 10 days to strengthen the technical management and improve the capacity for exclusion and quarantine of the fungus. So far, the fungus has been identified in Colombia, with OIRSA urging Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic to join forces and intensify their biosecurity measures, putting the countries on high alert.
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