In Chocó, officials from the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) carried out follow-up visits to 100 plantain farms registered as producers of fresh vegetables for export, where they verified compliance with current regulations, such as crop management and protocols. biosecurity on farms.
In the properties, located in the municipalities of Riosucio, Nuevo Belén de Bajirá and Carmen del Darién, the ICA staff monitored the phytosanitary status of the plantations and, at the end of the brigade, did not show symptoms in the plants caused by the Fusarium R4T or other pests that affect the production of this economically important crop.
“As a national health authority, it is up to us to exercise control over exports of products of plant origin to certify their phytosanitary quality. During the technical visits, some faults were evidenced and, in order to comply with these requirements, some agreements were proposed that must be fulfilled in a period of no more than 40 days”, explained the sectional manager of the ICA, in Chocó, Luis Eduardo Klínger Castro.
Phytosanitary surveillance in farms registered as producers of fresh vegetables for export had the objective of guaranteeing the health and safety of the products to be exported and, in this way, keeping exports open within the national policy of sanitary diplomacy.
“The phytosanitary status of the crops, the pests that affect production and the diseases associated with them must be known to mitigate losses, acquiring the necessary tools for proper management, thus obtaining better productive yields,” said Klinger Castro.
El Chocó has 150 banana-producing farms registered with the ICA for fresh export, therefore, the department will continue working to guarantee the health and safety of the agricultural products to be exported.