World Banana Forum (WBF), which is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization organized a webinar on ‘Fusarium Wilt TR4 in Asia: Lessons Learned and Current Innovations’ on 15 January 2025. The webinar was open to all participants from governments, research institutions, universities, the private sector and other stakeholders involved in the banana industry in the Asian region.
Mr. Victor Prada from FAO and Secretary General of the WBF who delivered the opening remarks, said that the aim of the webinar was to highlight the experiences of stakeholders in the Asian banana industry and the innovative approaches they adopted to mitigate the impact of the disease. Additionally, it aimed to foster collaborative efforts, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and enhance interregional and international cooperation in addressing these challenges. In this context the participation of both the public and private sector from institutions in major banana -producing countries in Asia in the webinar, highlights the critical need for disease containment, supported by with the shared experiences and pragmatic strategies. Mr. Prada also reiterated FAO’s commitment to support countries, governments, private sectors and other stakeholders through WBF’s initiatives.
The webinar was moderated by Mr. Matheus Lima, Environment and Sustainability Specialist at WBF, FAO together with panelists from China, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. TFNet was represented by advisor, Mr. Yacob Ahmad.
Webinar panelists shared diverse experiences and strategies undertaken by various countries and regions in Asia in combating the disease.
The panelists were:
a. Yacob Ahmad, Advisor, International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet)
b. Dr. Wei Wang, Director of Banana Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS)
c. Dr. Sijun Zheng, Lead Scientist, Alliance Bioversity International – International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
d. Dr. Ramasamy Selvarajan, Director, National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
e. Dr. Benny Corcolon, Senior Consultant, Former VP for R and D, Tagum Agricultural Development Company Inc. (TADECO) / Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA)
f. Dr. Nguyan Huy Chung, Head of Pathology and Phyto-immunology Div, Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), Vietnam.
A report of the webinar is available at, https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd4171en