PH Public Science And Public Service – More Bananas, Please!


From Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie has come out an order: "Solve banana's 'Panama disease' and boost exports." His directive came out on Valentine’s Day; it is a command to the Department of Agriculture, DA, and a plea to others, he having noted that:

Despite… the lingering “Panama disease” or Fusarium wilt, fresh banana remains as the country's major farm export. ¶ In fact, it earned for the country US$1.77 billion, from January to November 2019, making it the top farm export item, and US$1.38 billion in 2018, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Since Cavendish banana for export mostly comes from Mindanao, there must be hundreds of thousands of hectares of banana farms big and small in that island. In 2010, there were almost 500,000 hectares devoted to banana in the whole Philippines, according to the Food & Fertilizer Technology Center[1].

He also said:

What more, if we could solve the decades-old Panama disease that has been plaguing banana farms in Mindanao? That is why we at the Department of Agriculture are reaching out to all growers and exporters, local government units, and other industry stakeholders to forge stronger and more sustainable collaboration to put Panama disease to rest.

Our banana exports exclusively come from Mindanao. Actually, I know we have in fact effectively stopped Fusarium wilt of banana in that southern island of the Philippines – but we have not implemented that solution widely and intensively – I understand, for lack of funds. Almost exactly 3 years ago, on 28 February 2017, I wrote that our banana scientists led by Gus Molina (top right image imposed), with the help of the Taiwan Banana Research Institute, found a naturally occurring Cavendish, tagged C218, that was by itself resistant to the Panama disease. (See my essay, “The Banana Wars: GMO Vs Clones[2],” Alternative Journalism, blogspot.com). Mr Molina was then Regional Representative of Bioversity International. He says now that Philippine bananas have a certain “higher quality” world consumers desire. I will attribute that to the kind of soil and climate we have particularly in Mindanao.

I say today that the Cavendish solution to the Cavendish problem has found a Science Manager Savior in this country in the person of Manong Willie who is Head of the DA and who has the power to assign – and attract – funds to multiply C218 for all current and would-be banana farmers in Mindanao, or anywhere else in the Philippines.

I have a vicarious feeling about this, Philippine science serving bananas to the Filipino people. It has something to do with ethnicity – regarding the Ilocanos. Manong Willie is an Ilocano, from Ilocos Sur; Manong Gus is an Ilocano and, I just found out, also from Ilocos Sur! And Ilocano am I, my grandfather Graciano from La Union. And we all have degrees from UP Los Baños – so, UPLB must be doing something better than the other state colleges & universities of the Philippines?

I must declare: Ilocanos are serving their country extremely well – if only as far as serving their bananas!@517







[1] http://www.fftc.agnet.org/library.php?func=view&id=20150810090507
[2] https://ialternativejournalism.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-banana-wars-gmo-vs-clones.html

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