Strengthening regional pest surveillance on banana farms in the Andean Community
The overall goal of this project is to strengthen the regional pest surveillance and monitoring capacities of four Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) in banana production, as well as to support producers and health authorities in early decision- making against pest outbreaks or incursions. Colombia and Ecuador are two of the largest banana exporters in the world. Specifically, the project will establish a regional Phytosanitary Intelligence Centre, which will initially focus on the surveillance, monitoring and control of Fusarium Foc R4T, a pest of regional concern not only in terms of health and trade facilitation but also in terms of food security and job losses, and will then be extended to other pests of high regional interest and economic impact, according to the requirements of the beneficiary countries.
