Banana fungus may worsen hunger crisis in Venezuela

FILE PHOTO: A sign that reads "There is a point" referring to the availability of a point-of-sale (POS), is seen in a bananas street vendor stall in Caracas, Venezuela March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

CARACAS (Reuters) - A resistant fungus which wilts banana and plantain plants and infects soil could worsen the food crisis in Venezuela, where 6.5 million people already suffer hunger, growers groups and a United Nations agency say.

The Fusarium tropical race 4 fungus has so far been located in the central states of Aragua, Carabobo and Cojedes.