Ecuador prepares emergency protocol should Fusarium TR4 fungus reach the country

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Emergency Operations Committee (COE), in charge of addressing this type of risk, reported that a working team comprised of representatives of several government institutions and productive sectors are conducting studies to address the fungus’ potential arrival.

“We are working together to swiftly present the country and president Guillermo Lasso the necessary protocols so that once the fungus reaches the country we will know how to act,” said COE head Juan Zapata.

He recalled that technical working groups have been created in several provinces to address the issue, as recently occurred in the tropical city of Babahoyo to prepare for the fungus’ potential arrival and its impact on Ecuador’s agricultural sector.

In a statement, COE added that the joint public-private partnership is vital to conduct studies and define guidelines to tackle this destructive fungus, which enters through the root, reaches the stem and finally wilts the entire plant.

The technical roundtables address issues such as research, water and irrigation, financing and compensation measures, and national protocols, as well as emergency and contingency guidelines, which have yet to be approved by the COE.

So far, Ecuador has not detected the presence of the pest.