Learn about the requirements to import banana variants tolerant to Fusarium Race 4

Agrocality exposed the steps to be able to bring these types of plant materials to the country.

Six steps or requirements to be complied with on Wednesday 12Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad), in it"Protocol for the importation of plant material for the propagation of musaceae for research purposes", in order to be used for natural or legal persons to bring to the country tolerant varieties to Fusarium Race 4.

However, the protocol does not focus only on detecting that the materials to import do not have a fungus presence, which was already detected in Colombia (2019) and Peru (2021), but on other pests that could be equal or more devastating than the Fusarium, he saidMónica Gallo, Coordinator of Plant Health of Agrocality.

"While it is true that we can be importing a tolerant material to Fusarium Race 4, it is important to know that we have other pests that have been identified and that, of course, we have to analyze them," said the official, who said that it has been working since 2019 in the protocol and that it is already available for those who want to start with the process.

The first step issend an application for authorization to import seeds to the Undersecretariat of Agricultural Production. After,Enter the application for special requirements, Annex 1 of Resolution 222.

In this application, the name of the plant material, the data of the propagation center from which it would arrive, the information of the country of origin, and data of the exporter and the importer will be detailed.

In addition, Gallo indicated that in this second step the regulations are being updated, since in which it was in force it was provided that the material will be destroyed at the end of the investigation, but now it will not be destroyed, he said.

The following is theApproval of the Origin Propagation Center; then,possessing site approval posted, monitoring of quarantine throughout the investigation; And finally theAdaptability and Efficiency and Evaluation Test Cultivars.

Gallo put special emphasis on the approval of the propagation center.

“It is important that the first thing that the center must present abroad, to be able to bring the material to the country, is a file or a dose, including facilities plans and productive flow diagram, as well as the management of the plant material that would be imported, the origin of these materials, that is, the germplasm bank from which it was extracted, the description of the laboratory analysis of the material in order to guarantee the safety of this material, the disinfection programs and Biosafety, ”specified the Agrocality Plant Health Coordinator.

Added that another requirement is an inspectionon-siteof the propagation center, of the laboratory and the Bank of Germplasma that the material has, by Agrocality, for which Gallo indicated that they will handle a virtual.

While, Antonio Bustamante, researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP), He indicated that once the material arrives in the country they will be quarantine at the Tropical Pichilingue Experimental Station, in the province of Los Ríos.

Bustamante explained that INIAP will apply three times during quarantine follow -up: in laboratory, in nursery and the last in open field. This monitoring will have samples that will be sent to the laboratory that will guarantee the safety of the material, he added.

Gallo indicated that, to date, they have the interest of thebanana clusterin importing tolerant material to the fusarium race 4. These are varietiesPessants of 218, and theGal de Israel.

"The banana cluster has expressed interest in importing material, and we send the answer, in which the first step is the dosier," said the official.

The banana cluster, whose supplier of these varieties would be the companyRahan Meristem, It is made up of the Banano Marketing and Export Association (Acorbanec), the Banano Exporters Association of Ecuador (AEEBE), the Regional Bananeros Corporation of Ecuador (Agroban) and the Chamber of Agriculture of the Second Zone.

Richard Salazar, Executive Director of AcorbanecHe said that the banana cluster is in accordance with the protocol and have no observation.

"This week there is a coordination meeting, but I think that next week we will be ready," said Salazar, about the delivery of the information requested in the protocol.

Meanwhile, Gallo also confirmed the interest of INIAP to import a resistant variety, although he pointed out that "it is a process between governments; in this sense, times cannot be determined, they are in the signing of the agreements in the part of the other country."