The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) has created the Task Force to address the national phytosanitary emergency caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 or TR4 in banana cultivation. This decision was formalised through Ministerial Resolution No. 0301-2024-MIDAGRI, published in the special edition of the Legal Norms Bulletin of the official newspaper El Peruano. The General Directorate of Agricultural Development and Agroecology (DGDAA) explains that Fusarium is a soil fungus that causes severe diseases known as "Fusarium wilt" or "banana fusariosis." This pathogen, specifically Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Fusarium TR4), attacks the roots of banana plants, causing them to wilt and eventually die. Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is devastating and resistant to most current control methods, posing a severe threat to our banana crops.

Fusarium disease was first identified in Latin America in the 1950s. Fusarium TR4 has been a global threat in Peru since 2021, devastating banana crops. In this context, the DGDAA indicates that to address the problem of Fusarium oxysporum in banana cultivation, its origins, and transmission risks through the importation of propagules, a document that contains the schedule of interventions by the entities involved to mitigate the presence of this fungus must be developed.

These entities must commit to identifying critical tasks and immediate biosecurity measures that producers must implement in their fields, thus allowing them to face the Fusarium TR4 plague.

The Sectoral Task Force will be established within seven (7) business days of this Ministerial Resolution's publication in the Official Newspaper El Peruano. The Work Plan will also be approved within 25 business days of its establishment.