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Banana Industry on Alert After Disease Arrives in Colombia

Associated Press

   LA GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA - It might not be obvious at the supermarket, but
   thebananaindustry is fighting to protect the most popular variety of
   the fruit from a destructive fungus.

   A disease that ravagesbananacrops has made its long-dreaded arrival in
   Latin America, the biggest exporter of the crop. That's reigniting
   worries about the global market's dependence on a single type ofbanana,
   the Cavendish, which is known for its durability in shipping.

   For years, scientists have said bigbananacompanies like Chiquita and
   Dole would eventually need to find newbananavarieties as the disease
   spread in countries in Asia and elsewhere. Then this month, the fungus
   was confirmed inColombia, one of the top exporters in Latin America,
   prompting officials in the country to declare a state of emergency.

   Bananaindustry watchers say it's more proof the Cavendish's days are
   numbered, but that there's still plenty of time to find alternatives.

   "I don't think it's going to impact the availability of the Cavenidsh
   in supermarkets anytime soon,'' said Randy Ploetz, a retired scientist
   from the University of Florida who studied tropical plant diseases.

   While all sorts ofbananasare grown around the world for domestic
   consumption, the ones shipped to places including the United States and
   the European Union are mostly Cavendishes. It may seem odd that the
   worldbananamarket would hitch its fortunes to a single variety, but
   mass producing just one kind is a way to keep costs down, which also
   helps makebananasso widely available.

   Bananasare also hard to breed, and finding varieties suited to global
   commerce isn't easy. In addition to being productive, Cavendish plants
   yieldbananasthat can survive the trip from warm climates to far-flung
   supermarkets, without ripening too quickly.

   Still, history has shown the risks of relying on a singlebanana
   variety. Not that long ago, the world market was ruled by
   anotherbanana, the Gros Michel, aka the Big Mike. Experts say it was
   even easier to ship than the Cavendish, and sweeter (though others
   contend it tasted similar). Either way, the Gros Michel was ravaged by
   the 1950s by an earlier strain of the disease now stalking the
   Cavendish.

   This time, there's no obvious backupbananawaiting in the wings to take
   over.

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