In addition to claiming the lives of more than 400 people, the devastating typhoon ‘Pablo’ that hit the island of Mindanao in the Philippines also caused extensive damage that affect the livelihoods of millions of people. The commercial banana plantations were particularly affected (most of the country’s plantations of export bananas are located on the southern island precisely because it is usually less affected by typhoons than the northern islands). The other worry is that the floods might have spread the tropical race 4 fungus that causes Fusarium wilt on Cavendish bananas.
