Currently, over 60% of exported bananas go to waste before reaching consumers. According to Tropic, the non-browning version could cut food waste and CO2 emissions in supply chains by over 25%. In terms of CO2 reduction, the impact is comparable to taking 2m passenger vehicles off the road every year.<\/p>\n
For the Philippines, there\u2019s a more urgent appeal. The country is the top producer and exporter of bananas in Southeast Asia, but it\u2019s being ravaged by a devastating plant disease. Known as Panama TR4, the disease threatens 80% of global banana production \u2014 and there\u2019s no cure.<\/span><\/p>\n Tropic may have a solution: gene-editing bananas to make them disease-resistant. Unsurprisingly, the Philippine government has welcomed the prospect.<\/p>\n In a press release issued last month, Tropic announced that Filipino officials have given the green light to the non-browning bananas. Under the country\u2019s newly-defined gene-editing rules, the product can now be freely imported and propagated.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Philippines government has implemented a science-based, transparent, and efficient process for assessing the safety of gene-edited plants,\u201d said Dr Ofir Meir, Tropic\u2019s Chief Technology Officer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is exactly the type of system that encourages companies like Tropic to invest in innovative technologies to develop sustainable<\/a> solutions for Filipino farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Ofir](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/05\/Ofir.jpeg\")