Strong winds last week affected about 30% of banana production land in a northern Peruvian region, but an industry head said certain diseases were still a bigger problem for growers. 

Adverse winds and heavy rainfall occurred in the Chira valley close to the Ecuadorian border, and damaged trees to some extent covering some 500 hectares.

Piura Center for Small Organic Banana Grower Associations (CEPIBO) president Luís Alberto Ruíz Medina told www.freshfruitportal.com the affected plantations provided a source of labor to around 10,000 people, but he believed the situation was not too severe.

"The damage to the fruit isn't too bad, especially to the younger plants. We're doing everything possible to fix up these plantations and get back to business," Ruíz Medina said.

Many of the bananas in the region are organically grown and shipped to the U.S. and European markets.

Ruíz Medina added that while the blowdowns had caused problems for many producers, a bigger issue was the regional drought conditions and the prevalence of red spot on fruit.

"Here in this area we don't really have many problems related to the winds; our biggest problems are generally related to pests and diseases," he said.

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