Taiwan has been using advanced technology to help its allies in Central America address a new strain of Panama disease, which affects banana plants, the International Cooperation and Development Fund said yesterday.
International Cooperation and Development Fund deputy secretary-general Stephen Lee (李志宏) told a news briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei that the organization has contributed to a project involving the National Space Organization, the Taiwan Banana Research Institute and the Regional International Organization for Agricultural Health aimed at preventing the spread of Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4), which is caused by a fungus, in Central America.
“Since last year, we have been working with the National Space Organization to build a monitoring and alarm system for Panama disease using satellite technology,” Lee said, adding that nine satellite observation points have been installed in Guatemala, Honduras and Belize.
Photo courtesy of the International Cooperation and Development Fund
The system improved the analytical efficiency of the data that was collected in the nations and helped monitor the outbreak, he said.
Last month, the International Cooperation and Development Fund, the Regional International Organization for Agricultural Health and the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food hosted a forum on phytosanitary in the region, Lee said.
Chiang Shih-chao (蔣世超) and Chao Shih-ping (趙治平), experts from the Taiwan Banana Research Institute, told the forum how Taiwan tackles the TR4 strain, Lee said.
Taiwan has also helped resuscitate the banana farming industries of the Philippines and Mozambique by enabling them to export fruit that are resistant to Panama disease, he said.
“The forum was attended by representatives from agricultural agencies in 17 Central and South American countries, and nearly 300 banana growers,” he said. “This shows that many countries have tried to learn from Taiwan’s experience and control of preventing and controlling banana disease outbreaks.”
“Banana exports from Guatemala, Honduras and Belize are valued at US$1.421 billion a year,” Lee said. “We will continue identifying the needs of growers in Central America and developing technology that can help them.”
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