ProMusa, in collaboration with the Guang Dong Academy for Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS), the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and Bioversity’s Banana and Plantain Regional Network for Asia and the Pacific (BAPNET), has the pleasure to announce the “International Banana Symposium: Global Perspectives on Asian Challenges” to be held in Guang Dong, China, September 14-18, 2009.

Close to 48 million tonnes of banana are produced every year in Asia, making the fruit one of the most important crops in the region. The fruit forms an important part of the daily diet of Asians both as fresh fruit and as processed delicacies, and plays an important role in the livelihood of millions of banana growers who supply the local and export markets.

Asia lies in the center of origin of the crop, and is home to a rich diversity of wild and cultivated bananas. This genepool is a valuable source of genetic variability that has been the basis for crop evolution and is of vital importance in breeding new varieties. With new advances in biotechnology, it is now possible to identify useful genes and track them through the different steps of breeding improved varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases.

In Asia, several epidemics –like banana bunchy top and the recent outbreaks of a new strain of Fusarium wilt– have spurred banana growers, researchers, national governments and NGOs to form partnerships to underpin management efforts with scientific understanding. At a global level, the ProMusa network similarly seeks to leverage the efforts of different Musa R&D partners, by sharing information and mobilizing resources, and to serve as a platform for advocacy to develop concerted action. ProMusa wants to bring together partners from different parts of the world to share experiences and engage in a global dialogue.