Puerto Rico’s Agriculture Department has started distributing tissue-cultured plantain and banana seedlings as a preventive measure against Fusarium risk, with nearly 215,000 seedlings planned across six regions.
The Puerto Rico Agriculture Department has begun distributing tissue-cultured plantain and banana seedlings as part of a preventive push against Fusarium risk, including concern about Fusarium tropical race 4.
Coverage from Primera Hora said the first distribution took place at the Juana Díaz Agricultural Experiment Station. The San Juan Daily Star later reported that the department plans to distribute nearly 215,000 disease-resistant seedlings across six agricultural regions.
Officials have described the program as a way to help plantain and banana farmers strengthen production before the fungus spreads further. The effort is backed by more than $400,000 in initial investment, according to the reporting.
The department has not yet publicly detailed the full distribution schedule or whether additional regions will receive supplies first. For now, the initial delivery in Juana Díaz marks the start of a broader rollout intended to reach growers across the island.
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