DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Sept. 23 (PIA) --The provincial government here has intensified efforts to control banana fungus known as Panama disease or fusarium wilt that infested the banana and abaca farms in the two barangays in Valencia.

Governor Pryde Henry Teves issued an Executive Order (EO) on Sept. 21 strictly prohibiting the gathering and transport of soil and plants from Barangays Lunga and Apolong in Valencia to prevent the possible spread of the banana disease in the province.

Teves also ordered the non-entry of potted banana seedlings from the Davao areas/region that contain soil as its medium.

“This kind of disease has already entered into our province that wiped out most bananas and abaca plant in Valencia,” the governor said.

However, Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) Lindon Escalante of Valencia, in an interview, said the fusarium wilt was detected over 10 years ago and has affected at least 50 to 100 hectares of banana farmlands including abaca in 18 upland barangays in the municipality.

Escalante said the disease has mostly affected banana farms owned by 1,500 small-scale growers.

With this, the municipality of Valencia allocated funds to provide technical assistance to farmers hit by destructive virus, he said.

The town has been implementing interventions and strategies to combat the spread of the deadly fungus through the distribution of fungicide to farmers.

“But what we have done is not enough," he said, as he thanked the governor for issuing the E.O. which is a bold move to help prevent the spread of the fungus and protect the banana industry here.

He said the Department of Agriculture also continues to provide technical assistance to further help the banana farmers.

The said barangays in Valencia have large productions of bananas and abaca.    

Fusarium wilt is a disease caused by a soil-borne fungal disease that initially attacks the roots of banana plants.  (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)