DA swings into banana rescue mode

The Department of Agriculture is rolling out a high-stakes support package to save the country’s banana industry from Panama disease and reclaim lost ground in global markets.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. detailed the interventions under the High Value Crops Development Program include distributing 106,000 banana planting materials for farm expansion and rejuvenation, providing 120,000 units of organic fertilizer to improve soil health, and deploying over 215,000 biological control agents such as Trichoderma to protect plants and reduce postharvest losses.

The program responds to the spread of Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, or Panama disease, which has affected around 15,500 hectares in the Davao Region and threatens the Cavendish variety that drives Philippine exports.

“The Department of Agriculture is firmly committed to supporting our banana farmers and exporters in addressing this challenge,” Tiu Laurel said Monday.

By providing planting materials and biological controls, the DA seeks to help farmers rejuvenate affected plantations and maintain consistent output for export markets.

Tiu Laurel also cited current trade pressures, noting that Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines as China’s top banana supplier, while Philippine exports to Japan face higher tariffs than those from Vietnam, Mexico, and Peru.

“Unless these inequities are addressed, our market share will remain at risk,” he said, urging continued advocacy for fairer trade terms in the upcoming review of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.

The DA is also promoting research into disease tolerance, breeding strategies, and emerging technologies such as gene editing to secure the industry’s long-term viability.

“With unity, science, and sound trade policy, the Philippine banana industry will not only recover but thrive,” he added.