Banana prices are predicted to go up as temperature rises. According to Pascal Liu, senior economist at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, warmer climate will make it harder to control plant diseases like Fusarium Wilt TR4 which affect the production of the yellow fruit, as per BBC report.
The problem is to be discussed at the fourth conference at FAO headquarters in Rome this week.
“I think climate change is really an enormous threat to the banana sector,” Liu was quoted as saying.
As the temperature rises all over the globe, it can severly hit the banana production as the fruit is sensitive to the temperature changes, which also helps spreading diseases. One of the most serios is Fusarium Wilt TR4, a fungal infection, which has moved from Australia and Asia to Africa and now to South America.
The infection kills banana trees and nearly impossible to cure.
"We know that the spores of this Fusarium Wilt are extremely resistant, and they can be spread by flooding, they can be spread by strong winds," said Mr Liu.
"So, this type of phenomenon will disseminate the disease much faster than if you had more normal weather patterns.»
Experts worry that this phenomenon will hit the supply which in turn will trigger the rise of prices for the fruit all over the world.
"There will be some price increases, indeed," said Mr Liu. "If there's not a major increase in supply, I project that banana prices will remain relatively high in the coming years.»
Banana is the world’s most exported fruit.
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