Amid all tropical
fruits, bananas
are the most
profitable in the
countryside
tons registered in the latest survey; Bahia,
with 1,084,548 tons, andMinas Gerais, with
773,197 tons. In the sequence, we have
Santa Catarina and Pará.
According to Áurea, banana farming,
compared to all other tropical crops, is
one of the most profitable in the coun-
tryside. “To keep competitive, farmers
are advised to plant varieties resistant to
the main pests and adhere to production
systems recommended by research insti-
tutions and agricultural extension pro-
grams, besides the creation of banana
producers’ associations and coopera-
tives”, he suggests. Currently, the Prata va-
riety is very popular in the Northeast, fol-
lowed by the Southeast and the South. On
the other hand, the Plantain or Long Ba-
nana is very common in the North and
Northeast, while Cavendish bananas are
common in the South and Southeast.
Due to the popularity of the fruit in the
entire national territory, exports to other
countries are insignificant. In 2017, accord-
ing to data from the Secretariat of Foreign
Trade (Secex), and the Ministry of Industry,
Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC), ship-
ments amounted to 41,396,633 kilograms,
which brought in revenue of approximate-
ly US$ 11,635,309. The numbers are small-
er than in 2016, when exports amounted to
64,361,054 kilograms (-35.68%), with reve-
nue of US$ 21,036,386 (-44.69%). These ex-
ports, according to the researcher, come
from the most technology-equipped
belts, and the main destination is Merco-
sur. “In some of these belts fruit process-
ing experiments have been conducted,
destined for the most discerning foreign
markets”, she completes.
Inor Ag. Assmann
51
ALÉM FRONTEIRAS
•
BEYOND FRONTIERS
Embarquesnacionaisde bananas
Ano
2016
2017
variação
Valor (US$) Peso (Kg) Valor (US$) Peso (Kg) Valor (US$) Peso (Kg)
Bananas
21.036.383 64.361.054 11.635.309 41.396.633 -44,69% -35,68%
Fonte: Secex/Mapa.
l
RESEARCH ON THE ALERT
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa), in 2017, created a
workinggroup todeviseaphytosanitarywarningandacontingencyplan for the race4
Tropical (R4T) of Fusariumoxysporumf. sp. cubense (Foc). This fungus causes thePan-
ama disease, one of the most destructive pests that affect banana crops. In the past,
only present in South Asia, where its fast and aggressive dissemination has caused se-
vere losses to farmers in banana producing countries, race 4 tropical, or R4T, was de-
tected in banana plantations in Africa, in late 2013.
ResearchersFernandoHaddadandMiguelDita,fromEmbrapaCassavaandFruticul-
ture,inCruzdasAlmas(BA),havebeenkeepingthefarmersonthealert.Accordingtothe
specialists, the arrival of the fungus in America is just a matter of time. Currently, there
are at least 50 varieties susceptible to R4T, a fact that turns this pathogen into a threat
for global banana farming. In Brazil, the fungus could cause serious impacts on produc-
tionvolumes, oncealmost all thevarieties cultivatedare susceptible toRace4Tropical.
