Struggling banana industry seeks lower

fees, fewer restrictions

MANILA – The Pilipino Banana Growers and Entrepreneurs Association (PBGEA) is
calling for fewer government fees and more supportive ordinances to pump up the
troubled industry.

PBGEA executive director Stephen Antig told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an
interview on Thursday that it would also help to have simpler procedures for the
compliance of stakeholders.

Specifically, Antig cited the possible reduction in lodgment fees with the Bureau of
Customs, as well as the "suspension of wharfage fees until the situation gets better".

Considering the logistics problems that surfaced during the pandemic, he said local
government units (LGUs) should also slash or retract some of their additional protocols
on banana growers and entrepreneurs.

"The LGUs (should) refrain from coming up with ordinances that encroach on the right
to contract freely," Antig said.

In a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report released on March 12, fresh bananas
recorded the worst dip among the top 10 major commodity groups in terms of the
value of exports at -46.9 percent as of January 2021.

Manufactured goods followed at -12.8 percent; machinery and transport equipment, -

11.9 percent; and coconut oil, -11.7 percent.

"The industry is surviving though it has a lot of problems," he added.

PSA data also showed that the value of banana exports in January fell by 47 percent to
USD84.659 million from USD159.454 million in 2020.

"Planting bananas is still okay but the size should be economical and you should have a
ready market," Antig said.

Most banana plantations are located in Mindanao, with the Davao region accounting for
39 percent of the country’s total banana production, followed by Northern Mindanao
and Soccsksargen with 19 percent and 12 percent, respectively, according to PSA data.

In a recent virtual briefer of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Director for High-Value
Crops Program U-Nicholls Manalo said there is a stimulus fund to revive the banana
sector.

He attributed the decline in produce to the spread of Fusarium wilt, widely known as the
Panama disease, a soil-borne fungal disease that initially attacks the roots of banana
plants.

The disease turns the leaves of banana plants from green to yellow before eventually
wilting.

Areas infected with the Panama disease may have already doubled to 30,000 hectares
from the 15,000 hectares identified by the DA in 2015, data showed.

Small banana plantations account for almost half of more than 88,000 hectares planted
with the Cavendish variety, Manalo said.

"Hindi lang naman ang merkado ng Pilipinas ang naapektuhan kung hindi ang buong
mundo (It's not only the Philippine market that has been affected but other nations
too)," he said. (PNA)

Panama disease TR4, caused by the pathogen referred to as Fusarium oxysporum f.

sp. Cubense (García-Bastidas et al., 2015), is considered by horticulture experts as one of the
most destructive diseases in the world (Ploetz, 1992). It has no known remedy. The
pathogen travels in soil and running water, as well as on farm implements and machinery
(Ploetz, 2006). Hence, pesticide spraying against the disease is not practised. Researchers
are just starting to understand the genetic diversity of the pathogen itself, in order to
develop methods and tools to diagnose the disease in the field before it can destroy a
plantation (Ordoñez et al., 2015).
Philippines continues efforts
to contain Panama disease in
banana crop
The Philippines Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) is ramping up its efforts to contain
Fusarium wilt, also known as Panama disease, in the banana industry. Fusarium wilt is
a soil-borne fungal disease that blocks the banana plant’s vascular system and
deprives it of minerals, nutrients, and moisture. Affected plants turn yellow and die.
The Tropical Race 4 (TR4) strain was first detected in Davao City in 2009 and
continues to threaten the Cavendish banana, the main export variety.

BPI Director Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban: “We’re really focusing on the best
management because it doesn’t matter how will we produce if lose to pests and
diseases. We are partnered with the Philippine Space Agency to initiate a project that
will allow us to really know the scope of damage.”

In its banana market review, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the
United Nations said that the Philippines exported 2.24 million tons in 2022, down
6.21%. The Philippines is the second top banana exporter, after Ecuador.

Slide 6-7

Suliraning ikinaharap ng industriya ng saging sa Pilipinas

The first report and description of Fusarium wilt of banana in the world was from Australia
on late 1800. Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease that blocks the banana plant’s
vascular system and deprives it of minerals, nutrients, and moisture. Affected plants turn
yellow and die.

On 2019, About 10% of the land currently used for export production in Mindanao is
infected with Fusarium wilt, which is continuing to spread, with differing degrees of
severity. The export industry could be wiped out in as little as five years if Fusarium wilt of
bananas is not controlled in Mindanao.

"Hindi lang naman ang merkado ng Pilipinas ang naapektuhan kung hindi ang buong
mundo (It's not only the Philippine market that has been affected but other nations too),"
PBGEA executive director Stephen said.

Slide 6-7

Ang unang ulat at pagsusuri tungkol sa Fusarium wilt ng saging sa buong mundo ay
nagmula sa Australia noong huling bahagi ng 1800s. Ang Fusarium wilt ay isang sakit na
dulot ng fungus na nakatanim sa lupa o tinatawag na “seed borne”, na nagdudulot ng
pagsara sa vascular system ng halaman ng saging at pagsasangkot ng mga kinakailangang
mineral, sustansya, at tubig. Ang mga saging na apektado ay nagpapakita ng simptomas ng
pagkukulay dilaw ng dahon at na humahantong sa pagkamatay ng tanim.

Noong 2019, 10% ng lupaang ginagamit para sa produksyon ng saging na pang-export sa

Mindanao ang tinamaan na ng Fusarium wilt, at patuloy itong kumakalat sa iba't ibang
antas ng kalubhaan. Kung hindi maikokontrol ang Fusarium wilt ng saging sa Mindanao,
maaaring mawala ang industriya ng export sa loob lamang ng limang taon. (insert pic ng
banana na may sakit)

"Hindi lang ang merkado sa Pilipinas ang naapektuhan, kundi ang buong mundo rin," ani
PBGEA executive director Stephen Antig. (if pwede iinsert pic nya na nagsasabi)

Explanation (do not include)

Ang kanyang pahayag ay nagpapahiwatig na ang epekto ng problemang ito ay hindi

limitado sa lokal na aspeto, kundi may malawakang implikasyon sa pandaigdigang
kalakaran. Ang kinahaharap ng industriya ng saging sa Pilipinas ay nanganganib, at ang
pagtutok sa kontrol ng Fusarium wilt ay nagiging kritikal upang mapanatili ang kalusugan at
kasaganahan ng sektor na ito.

Slide 8 : Solusyon
According to NLM of USA, synthetic fungicides are widely used to control wilt diseases and
Thiophanate-methyl was found to be effective against fusarium wilt.

According to interviewed farmers in Mindanao, the preventive measures they conduct is by

using fungicide, and by covering bananas in plastic to avoid being infected. Also, since
Fusarium is contagious, farmers isolate those plants which is infected and also disinfects
crop tools.

Ayon sa NLM ng Estados Unidos, ay synthetic fungicide ay malawakang ginagamit upang

kontrolin ang sakit na dulot nito, at natuklasan na ang Thiophanate-methyl ay epektibo
laban sa fusarium wilt.

Batay sa mga magsasakang nakuhaan ng panayam sa Mindanao, ang mga hakbang na

kanilang isinasagawa upang mapanatili ang kalusugan ng kanilang taniman at maiwasan
ang fusarium wilt ay kinabibilangan ng paggamit ng fungicide at pagsasaklob ng saging sa
plastik upang maiwasan ang pagkahawa ng sakit. Bukod dito, dahil sa kakayahan ng
Fusarium, inihihiwalay ng mga magsasaka ang mga halamang apektado at nagsasagawa ng
disinpeksyon sa kanilang mga kagamitan pang-agrikultura.

Introduction

Magandang araw! Kami’y narito upang magbigay ng maikling pagsilip sa mahahalagang

aspeto ng industriya ng saging sa Pilipinas. Sa ating pagtitipon ngayon, tatalakayin natin
ang mga pangunahing bahagi ng sektor na ito, mula sa kanyang kahalagahan sa
kasaysayan hanggang sa mga kasalukuyang hamon at solusyon na kinakaharap.

Sa pagdaan ng panahon, paano nga ba naging bahagi ng pang-araw-araw na buhay ng

Pilipino ang saging? Ano ang mga kwento ng tagumpay at pag-aaral na dala nito sa ating
bansa? Ngayon, tayo'y maglakbay sa masusing pagsusuri sa industriya ng saging, upang
mas mapagtibay natin ang ating kaalaman at pag-unawa sa sektor na ito.