EXPORTS of banana from the Philippines rose 3.4% in 2023, with the industry’s efforts to curtail the outbreak of Fusarium wilt, also known as Panama disease, apparently paying off, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
In its Banana Market Review, the FAO said that exports of Philippine bananas increased to 2.3 million metric tons (MMT) due to increased investment in containing Panama disease and the rehabilitation of about 4,000 hectares of infected plantations.
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.
“Over the past decade, the country’s banana production has been impacted by adverse growing conditions related to various factors, including the spread of TR4, occasional flooding and occurrences of political unrest,” the FAO said.
Citing the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, it added that about 17,000 to 18,000 hectares of banana plantations are affected by TR4, as of February.
The FAO said emerging banana destinations for Philippine bananas like Iran and Saudi Arabia have expanded by 60% and 12% by volume, respectively.
The Philippines is the second top banana exporter next to Ecuador. It accounts for around 60% of Asian banana shipments.
The FAO said logistics issues affected the quality of bananas expected to be exported to Japan.
“These difficulties hampered shipments from the Philippines particularly during the first nine months of (2023), notably to Japan and China, the two key destinations for bananas from the Philippines,” it added.
It added that Asian exports in 2023 rose 5.9% to 4.1 MMT, showing the “first signs of recovery” following three years of consecutive declines in shipments from the region.
The FAO said that exports from Asia had been affected by COVID-19 related difficulties and the impact of TR4 from 2020 to 2022. — Adrian H. Halili
