Alert up vs banana, abaca from South

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The Iloilo provincial agriculturist office has warned local farmers on the entry of banana and abaca plants or their parts harvested in several areas in Mindanao.

Provincial agriculturist Ildefonso Toledo identified these areas as Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Davao City, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, and North and South Cotabato.

The warning came after the issuance of BPI Special Quarantine Administrative Order No. 01 series of 2012 placing these areas under quarantine due to the existence of the Panama disease of banana known as Fusarium wilt, which is resistant to fungicide and cannot be controlled chemically.