Ecuador launches the campaign We are alert!, to prevent the entry of Fusarium Race 4

The strategy is promoted by MAG and Agrocalidad, with the support of the German Embassy in Ecuador and the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ).

With a call for calm he began his intervention this TuesdayMónica Gallo, general coordinator of Plant Health of the Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad),during the launch of the communication campaign“We are alert!”focused on preventing the entry ofFusarium Raza 4to the country.

The strategy is driven by theMinistry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG)andAgrocalidad,with the support of theGerman Embassy in Ecuadorand theGerman Cooperation Agency (GIZ).

This and other actions take place after the detection of the plague on April 8 inPeru, a country that confirmed the fungus last Monday. Previously, the plague was detected inAugust 2019in the north ofColombiaand it was the first alert in the region, he recalledChristiane Danne. director of GIZ Ecuador.

Meanwhile, Gallo and Patricio Almeida, executive director of Agrocalidad, confirmed that the fungus is not present in Ecuador.

Gallo indicated that since the alert in Colombia in Ecuador, more than 40,000 field monitoring and they have come to eight phytosanitary notices with those who have ruled out the fungus in the territory. He added that Ecuador has a network of laboratories with the capacity to process 1,000 samples monthly to confirm or rule out the fungus, in addition to agreements signed with international institutions.

In addition, Agrocalidad announced that there is mobility restriction on the southern border and restricted passage of pedestrians.

About the campaign, Ragna John, coordinator of the Sustainable Banana Project of GIZ Ecuador, He explained that it will focus on producers, personnel who work in banana plantations, technical personnel, schools and the media with material that is easy to understand, adapt and access.

It consists of three educational sheets with clear information and avoids technical language that often distances them from farmers.

There is also media material with clear messages and advertisements for print media. Meanwhile, 17 were prepared for social networkspoststhat will be broadcast, along with four short videos.

“Communication is not about alarm, but about prevention,” concluded John

For his part, the German ambassador to Ecuador, Philipp Schauer, indicated that the campaign is essential to raise awareness of the risks of Fusarium and that this contributes to preventing the entry of the fungus.

“The campaign is part of a set of actions that contribute to increasing banana production, since the European and German markets are the main destination for the fruit, said the diplomat.

Meanwhile, Almeida highlighted that bananas generate more than2 million jobsin the country and near15,000 producersThey depend on the fruit. He also highlighted that the country is managed with a production model in which the small ones prevail.

"He80%(of the plantations) is from small producers and that is why we have to work, there is more vulnerability,” warned the executive director of Agrocalidad, who highlighted initiatives such as theSustainable Banana projectwhich is applied inThe Goldand that they seek to expand to other provinces.

“The country's agricultural sector has never stopped, rather they have grown, in 2020 agricultural production grew 15%,” said Almeida, who assured that bananas are no exception.

He recalled that when the administration of Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Xavier Lazo, it began in 2018, the prevention plan for Fusarium race 4 was already on the agenda and when the alert was given in Colombia, they updated and strengthened it, then they continued working and important actors joined in, such as international cooperation with GIZ.

Now after the alert from Peru, Almeida added, border measures have been intensified, technical and specialized resources have been transferred, but control and quarantine have also been strengthened with new sweeps to help producers in the southern part of the country.