This year, nine technicians and two engineers will traverse approximately 11,000 hectares of banana and plantain crops. This exercise will include collecting 1,000 samples that will be analyzed in different laboratories in the country. The ICA and Asbama have signed a new technical cooperation agreement to contain and exclude the Tropical Race 4 Fusarium -TR4- on the farms of 305 banana and plantain producers in the departments of Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira. "We have managed resources before the national government to continue working on all processes of prevention, containment, and mitigation of the impacts that TR4 may have in our departments of Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira. The taking of samples, phytosanitary monitoring, the delivery of biosecurity kits, support staff, and the strengthening of the laboratory in Zona Bananera are integral components of the agreement," said José Francisco Zúñiga Cotes, executive president of Asbama.

In this fifth consecutive year of prevention, surveillance, and control actions, the results obtained by Agrosavia in their research were crucial. Their findings have been instrumental in shaping our mitigation actions. We will promote the delivery of biological products with beneficial bacteria, fungi (Bacillus and Trichoderma), and fertilizers. This is particularly important as the soils of this region lack some nutrients that are correlated with the establishment of the disease or the pathogen in the crop area. "We have been able to advance in possible varieties with tolerance and resistance that are being evaluated today in the department of La Guajira, which are the solution to this problem in the medium term. We are also working intensively on the farms where we have mitigated the Impact of the arrival of Fusarium with technology and research. We have been able to make investments in footprint plates that limit the transport of soil in the boot, and I believe that this has helped us that the disease has not been as devastating as in other countries," indicates Zúñiga. These new actions will maintain biosecurity on the farms at the entrance and exit of people and vehicles.

Similarly, this new technical cooperation agreement will benefit the maintenance of some control posts on the North Coast of Colombia. Another activity the national government highlights are phytosanitary monitoring, an exercise carried out by a group of technicians. This year, nine technicians and two engineers will traverse approximately 11,000 hectares of banana and plantain crops, an exercise that will be accompanied by collecting 1,000 samples that will be analyzed in different laboratories in the country.

According to Asbama, the actions will primarily impact 230 small producers, 50 of whom are plantain producers in La Guajira and 75 medium and large properties in the three departments. While there is currently no affectation on the farms or plots of the small cultivators, their inclusion in our efforts is of great importance. The potential Impact of the disease on their farms could directly affect food security, underscoring the need for comprehensive prevention and control measures.