Costa Rica Defends Its Bananas From Fusarium Wilt

Costa Rica is actively working to protect its banana industry from the devastating Tropical Race 4 soil fungus that causes fusarium wilt, or Panama disease, FreshFruitPortal.com reported.

Costa Rica has implemented protective measures for its banana industry such as border spraying, isolation farm protocols, and early detection methods to prevent the spread of the fungus. I Photo: Heather Flickr

In 2023, Costa Rica exported 127 million boxes of bananas, worth $1.2 billion, making up about 7% of the country's total exports and a third of its agricultural exports.

The main markets for Costa Rican bananas are the European Union (46.12%), the United States (32.25%), and the United Kingdom (9.35%).

Jorge Sauma Aguilar, general manager of the National Banana Corp. (Corbana), noted that the fungus hit Colombia in 2019, reached Peru in 2021, and entered Venezuela in 2023.

Costa Rica has implemented protective measures such as border spraying, isolation farm protocols, and early detection methods to prevent the spread of the fungus. Aguilar emphasized the seriousness of the threat and the importance of monitoring and early detection.