2020, Volume 23, Paper 13

ISSN: 2209-6612

Impact of Panama TR4 Disease on the Value Chain of Bananas

Marcus Lo Giudice – University of Melbourne.

Abstract

Bananas are a key horticultural market in Australia. This agricultural product not only outsells all other fruit and vegetables but also most other supermarket lines, making it one of the top selling products in major supermarkets (ABGC, 2020). However, this large value chain faces adversity in the form of Panama Tropical Race 4 (Panama TR4). This is a soil-borne disease that threatens to significantly reduce the supply of bananas throughout Australia. The disease could have devastating economic consequences throughout the value chain if not managed correctly. In this paper a value chain analysis is conducted to examine these potential consequences.

Key words: Panama TR4, value chain, disease management, banana, economic consequences

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