{"id":206720,"date":"2026-01-29T14:33:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/?p=206720"},"modified":"2026-01-29T14:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:33:58","slug":"ecuador-joins-brazil-caf-to-strengthen-bananas-against-pests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/ecuador-joins-brazil-caf-to-strengthen-bananas-against-pests\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador joins Brazil, CAF to strengthen bananas against pests"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panama City, Jan 29 (EFE).\u2014<\/b> Ecuador, the <\/span>world\u2019s leading banana exporter<\/b>, has joined <\/span>Brazil<\/b> and <\/span>CAF\u2014Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean<\/b> to launch a <\/span>regional project to genetically strengthen the Cavendish banana<\/b> against pests affecting Latin America.<\/span><\/p>\n

The agreement was formalized through a <\/span>letter of intent<\/b> signed by the <\/span>Asociaci\u00f3n de Exportadores de Banano del Ecuador<\/b> (AEBE)<\/b><\/a> with <\/span>CAF<\/b> and <\/span>Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecu\u00e1ria (<\/b>Embrapa<\/b><\/a>) <\/b>during the <\/span>International Economic Forum of Latin America and the Caribbean<\/b> being held in Panama, the exporters\u2019 association reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regional effort to protect Cavendish bananas<\/b><\/h2>\n

AEBE said the initiative will advance a Cavendish banana <\/span>genetic improvement program<\/b> to confront global <\/span>phytosanitary threats<\/b>, including Moko disease and Tropical Race 4 Fusarium.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project will be carried out in partnership with <\/span>Embrapa<\/b>, an institution <\/span>internationally recognized for its scientific research and applied innovation<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this step, AEBE said it is reinforcing its <\/span>role as regional coordinator.<\/b> The goal is to <\/span>safeguard<\/b> Ecuador\u2019s main <\/span>agricultural<\/b> export through <\/span>science-based international cooperation<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Financing and binational cooperation with Brazil<\/b><\/h2>\n

The association is also managing <\/span>financing mechanisms<\/b> to enable the future implementation of a <\/span>binational program with Brazil.<\/b> The initiative focuses on <\/span>strengthening technical capacities, knowledge transfer and practical solutions<\/b> for the productive sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

This effort comes amid \u201c<\/span>growing sanitary, environmental and commercial challenges that require coordinated, long-term responses<\/b>,\u201d AEBE said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Handout
Handout photo provided by AEBE. L-R: Ecuador\u2019s agriculture minister, Juan Carlos Vega; Sergio D\u00edaz-Granados, president of CAF; Jorge Encalada, president of AEBE; and Jos\u00e9 Antonio Hidalgo, AEBE\u2019s executive director. EFE\/Asociaci\u00f3n de Exportadores de Banano del Ecuador (AEBE). EDITORIAL USE ONLY\/NO SALES\/AVAILABLE ONLY TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACCOMPANYING NEWS ITEM (MANDATORY CREDIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Confidence in Ecuador\u2019s banana sector<\/b><\/h2>\n

AEBE board chairman <\/span>Jorge Encalada<\/b> highlighted CAF\u2019s support for the initiative. He said it \u201c<\/span>constitutes a clear sign of confidence in Ecuador\u2019s banana sector and in its ability to build long-term solutions<\/b>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe also recognize,\u201d he added, \u201c<\/span>the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecu\u00e1ria, an institution of scientific excellence and an international benchmark, for its openness and willingness to move forward with Ecuador in technical cooperation aimed at improving the Cavendish banana genetically<\/b>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Encalada said the joint effort represents a \u201c<\/span>strategic opportunity to strengthen the resilience of the banana sector, protect the livelihoods of millions of people, contribute to food security and ensure the sustainability of one of the world\u2019s most widely consumed fruits<\/b>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bananas\u2019 role in global trade<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe project gains relevance as Ecuadorian bananas continue to play a strategic role in <\/span>global agricultural<\/b> trade,\u201d said <\/span>Jos\u00e9 Antonio Hidalgo<\/b>, executive director of AEBE.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hidalgo noted that in 2025 Ecuador \u201c<\/span>closed the year with sustained export growth, reaching more than 378 million boxes, despite an environment marked by climatic, commercial and phytosanitary pressures<\/b>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing key phytosanitary threats<\/b><\/h2>\n

Pests such as <\/span>Tropical Race 4 Fusarium<\/b> and <\/span>Moko disease<\/b> are among the <\/span>main risks<\/b> the sector seeks to prevent and mitigate, alongside climatic and commercial threats that have <\/span>direct impacts on employment, income and food security<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, AEBE said it is \u201c<\/span>promoting a comprehensive strategy for the sustainability of the banana value chain<\/b>,\u201d which includes <\/span>phytosanitary prevention<\/b>, <\/span>logistics-chain security<\/b>, and <\/span>value enhancement of the product<\/b>. EFE<\/span><\/p>\n

EFE published this report with the support of AEBE.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panama City, Jan 29 (EFE).\u2014 Ecuador, the world\u2019s leading banana exporter, has joined Brazil and CAF\u2014Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to launch a regional project to genetically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198164087,"featured_media":206696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[123771,123781],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-206720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEcuador joins Brazil, CAF to strengthen bananas against pests - EFE Comunica<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Panama City, Jan 29 (EFE).\u2014 Ecuador, the world\u2019s leading banana exporter, has joined Brazil and CAF\u2014Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/ecuador-joins-brazil-caf-to-strengthen-bananas-against-pests\/\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ecuador joins Brazil, CAF to strengthen bananas against pests - 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