The Department of Agriculture (DA) has vowed to support the banana sector in the country to help address the spread of Panama disease.

The commitment came after the 32nd Joint General Assembly of the Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) and the Banana Export Industry Foundation (BEIF).

The Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, or Panama disease, is a fungal infection that severely affects banana production.

In a statement on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA is “firmly committed to supporting our banana farmers and exporters in addressing this challenge.”

He underscored the need for closer collaboration between the Marcos administration and the private sector.

“The Department of Agriculture is firmly committed to supporting our banana farmers and exporters in addressing this challenge,” he added.

Under the DA’s High Value Crops Development Program for 2025, the department will distribute 106,000 banana planting materials to help expand and rejuvenate banana farms.

Around 120,000 units of organic fertilizer will also be provided to improve soil health, while 215,000 biological control agents such as Trichoderma will be deployed to protect plant health and minimize post-harvest losses.

According to the DA, the Panama disease has already affected around 15,500 hectares of banana farms in the Davao Region, affecting the Cavendish variety, or the country’s banana export backbone.

Tiu Laurel, meanwhile, called for urgent actions to address other challenges, including international trade competition and the need for research and technologies to boost the banana sector.

“Unless these inequities are addressed, our market share will remain at risk,” he said, citing that Vietnam has surpassed the Philippines as the top supplier of bananas in China while facing higher tariffs in Japan.

“With unity, science, and sound trade policy, the Philippine banana industry will not only recover but thrive.”

Areas in need of research include disease tolerance, breeding strategies, and innovation, such as gene editing.

PNA PHOTO