The Banana Board of Jamaica is urging farmers to take immediate measures to protect their crops against the TR4 disease, which has the potential to wipe out the entire industry.

Fusarium odoratissimum, commonly known as TR4, is a soil-borne fungal disease that affects commercial varieties of Jamaican banana, plantain, and ornamental Heliconia crops.

General Manager of the Banana Board, Janet Conie, has warned that the disease has spread from South America to Venezuela and could potentially enter the Caribbean through Trinidad.

“It is not in Jamaica and it is not yet in the Caribbean but in 2019 it came to South America to Colombia and it stayed there for a while. In 2021, it moved from Colombia to Peru and in January 2023, just two months ago, it jumped into Venezuela,” she said.

The TR4 disease can stay in the soil for up to 30 years, and there is currently no cure or resistant commercial varieties available.

The Banana Board is also urging farmers to fence their farms, create footpaths for visitors, and disinfect their shoes to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Board is also encouraging Jamaicans who travel to be mindful of their movements in countries where TR4 is present. Anyone visiting a South American country and entering a banana field should not bring their clothes and shoes back to Jamaica to avoid inadvertently introducing the disease.

The Banana Board has been preparing for the potential impact of TR4 by developing varieties that are resistant to the disease and multiplying them in Jamaica for food security. The Board has also been leading the TR4 Task Force on preparedness, exclusion, and emergency management of the disease as mandated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2020/2021.