FAO’s collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry seeks to ensure the sustainability of banana production
On 03 November 2022, a stakeholder consultation workshop was organized in Adana to advance work on the project “Supporting Studies for the Prevention of Fusarium Wilt Disease in Bananas”. The project is a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM), and the General Directorate of Food and Control (GKGM).
Workshop participants included representatives of the above Directorates as well as the General Directorate of Plant Production (BÜGEM), provincial and district directorates of agriculture and forestry, universities, seedling suppliers, phytosanitary companies, consultants, non-governmental organizations and producers.
Speaking at the opening, Ayşegül Selışık, Assistant FAO Representative in Türkiye, stressed the importance of bananas as a source of food supply and income for many countries including Türkiye. She added: “FAO’s goals include safeguarding the sustainability of agricultural production and battling dangerous diseases and pests. In order to fight this serious disease, we have formulated this technical cooperation project with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It is our hope that the outcomes of the integrated strategies developed through this activity will benefit both domestic and global production”.
In his opening speech, Prof. Dr Salih Kafkas, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Çukurova University, explained that 60 percent of Türkiye’s banana production is produced around the Cukurova region – with Adana recently increasing production to almost 50 000 tonnes. He also noted that significant research is being conducted on plant health, emphasizing that implementing preventative measures is critical to stopping the spread of Fusarium wilt disease fungus in bananas.
Dr Suat Kaymak, Head of the Plant Health Department at the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies, began by presenting some statistics: “The banana production of Türkiye has increased from 64 000 tonnes in the 2000s to 884 000 tonnes in 2021, reaching close to 1 million tonnes this year”. He then summarized TAGEM’s research activities on transboundary plant pests and diseases in Turkey, explaining that “Banana Fusarium Wilt disease is one of the most dangerous pests for bananas”. He continued: “The initiative between FAO, the Ministry and Çukurova University will facilitate the development of a national strategic action plan and provide training for farmers and technical workers”.
After providing an overview of the project in his presentation, FAO Agricultural Specialist Fazıl Düşünceli listed the goals of the workshop:
- to raise awareness of the importance of Banana Fusarium Wilt disease among producers and stakeholders and to share latest developments;
- to evaluate the general situation of the disease in Türkiye;
- to gather the perspectives of stakeholders about this disease, and evaluate measures to avoid its spread and related treatment approaches;
- to determine the main components of a national strategic programme for disease prevention and management.
A series of presentations followed the preliminary session. Mumine Özarslandan, an expert at the Biological Control Research Institute, provided an overview of the status of the disease in the region, and Soner Akgul, a lecturer at the Çukurova University Faculty of Agriculture, presented the management options. The meeting continued with detailed presentations by ministerial representatives from the research bodies TAGEM, GKGM and BÜGEM on their respective work, current legislation and regulations.
In the months preceding the workshop, university academics and scientists from the Ministry’s research institutions provided training to technical officers in the provincial and district directorates of agriculture and forestry in Adana, Antalya, Mersin and Hatay, to raise awareness about the importance of the disease, determine its current status in the country and inform producers about measures to be taken.
The workshop will prepare the foundations for the national strategic programme by incorporating the recommendations and suggestions coming from discussions.