Belize Agriculture Health Authority Managing Director Zoe Zetina says Belize is prepared to detect banana disease Fusarium TR4, respond effectively

BAHA Managing Director Zoe Zetina – Photo Credit: Rubén Morales Iglesias

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: “We now feel prepared to detect an early outbreak, conduct the preliminary diagnosis for the disease and respond effectively to eradicate any early detection,” Belize Agriculture Health Authority (BAHA) Managing Director Zoe Zetina said at the opening of the recently held 2024 National Forum on Banana Disease Fusarium TR4 and Simulation Exercise last week. Fusarium TR4 is a deadly soil-borne fungal banana disease than can decimate the banana industry.

Zetina said that with the assistance of partners, the International Regional Organization for Health in Agriculture (OIRSA) and the Taiwan International Cooperation Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), Belize is creating awareness and building the capacity of the staff at BAHA, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the industry.

“Our partners are providing critical support in specialized equipment for diagnosis and the associated training.”

Fusarium TR4, also referred to as FocTR4 of Fusarium Wilt, is already present in South America in Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.

“With the presence of the disease now in three countries of South America, we must pool our resources and collaborate even more intensively to delay further spread into the American continent,” Zetina said.

Zetina said Foc TR4 National Forum is a perfect example of the collaborative effort and shows the importance of simulation exercises, which must be practiced until perfected in order to fight Fusarium TR4.

The National Fusarium TR4 Forum, coordinated by TaiwanICDF, the International Regional Organization for Health in Agriculture (OIRSA), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise (MAFSE) through BAHA, was conducted by Colombian, Brazilian, Honduran, Guatemalan, and Belizean experts.

Zetina said that although Belize’s banana industry is small compared to the industries in other Central America countries, it is highly significant to Belize’s economy.

“This industry constitutes a major pillar of the agricultural sector, generating significant foreign exchange and providing livelihoods to thousands of workers in southern Belize,” Zetina said, adding that other species such as plantains and apple bananas also contribute significantly to our food security and diets.

She said Belize could ill-afford another fruit disease.

“We are still grappling with the heavy devastation to our citrus industry by HLB, and the equally expensive recovery efforts. There is no doubt that Fusarium TR4 would be equally devastating, albeit in a shorter timeframe than HLB in citrus,” she said.

Belize Agriculture Health Authority (BAHA) Managing Director Zoe Zetina (extreme right) – Photo Credit: Rubén Morales Iglesias

At the same time, Zetina promised Belize’s partners, that the Belizean stakeholders, BAHA included, are working hard in preventing the entry of FocTR4.

“We want to assure our colleagues from the OIRSA region, the industry and farmers, that we are committed to the common cause of keeping the disease out of our country, our industry, and the region,” Zetina said.

“We are becoming technically prepared and are being vigilant.  We are cooperating with all industry stakeholders and our developmental partners and we thank them for their unwavering support over all these years.

“We are gradually putting in place all the elements that are needed to prevent the introduction of the disease. But let us be mindful that prevention will always be better than any available cure.”

Zetina said BAHA is at the forefront of ensuring the disease is not introduced in the country, particularly through the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport.

“Of course, our approach to prevention starts at the point of regulating planting material for the industry and preventing the introduction of non-essential material,” she said.

“For this reason, only authorized sources, that have been evaluated through the risk analysis process, can supply planting material. Our principal point of entry at the Philip Goldson International Airport has, for many years, been using sanitary mats at the point of entrance. With the assistance of OIRSA, we have strengthened the inspection process at the airport by establishing non-intrusive inspection methods and implementing x-ray machines and canine units.”

However, work isn’t limited to the PSW International Airport.

“In the fields, staff are being supported with tele-detection capacity at a pilot level for surveillance, courtesy of TASA-Taiwan,” Zetina said.

“The industry is likewise vigilant and reporting cases.”

The BAHA Managing Director also said the BAHA Plant Health Laboratory at Central Farm now has the capability of detecting the disease using Conventional PCR and Lamp and is also incorporating protocols for the diagnoses of other diseases such as Erwinia and Ralstonia. She added that BAHA’s technical field staff continue to take advantage of courses and related activities to build capacity in various aspects.

Zetina closed, saying the TR4 draft regulation, which deals with managing the disease once it is introduced into Belize and outlines the necessary steps for control, is currently under review for legislative approval and implementation.

Simulation Exercise at Central Farm conducted by BAHA on Thursday, February 27, 2024- Photo Credit: Francisco Gutierrez/BAHA

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