How to be more competitive in the international markets? That, among other issues, is one of the concerns that the national banana sector discussed in the 13th International Banana Forum, which comes to an end today at the Hilton Colon hotel.
Nearly ten national and international exhibitors are participating in the Forum, where they have shared the latest advancements in crop productivity.
The agenda of the forum is organized by Espol's Biotechnology Research Center at Ecuador (CIBE) and the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE); both of which signed a cooperation agreement last June.
Daynet Sosa del Castillo, the director of the CIBE, highlighted the results presented in the Forum regarding the Fusarium race 4, a fungus that has affected banana plantations in Asia. According to her, they have created a method to detect it. She also stated that, in recent studies, they had not found the pest in the country.
Eduardo Ledesma, head of the AEBE, highlighted the advances focused on lowering costs in the field. "We have to increase our productivity every year from 100 to 250 boxes per hectare, at least, which would amount to 25 million boxes per year," he stated.
In that regard, several pieces of equipment, such as the M16, a lightweight airship from Aviaereo, are being displayed at the forum. Daniel Texeira, their representative, imports them from Italy.
It can be used for fumigation, reducing production costs by up to 50%, and it costs nearly 80,000 euro.
