The Ministry of Agriculture dismissed
a rumor that bananas grown in the southern island province of Hainan
contain a virus similar to the one that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, state media
reported. "There has not been a case in the world in which humans have
contracted a plant virus, and there is not any scientific evidence," said
Zhang Xingwang, deputy director of the Ministry's market department. The
ministry said the rumor was spread through widely sent mobile text messages
saying that a SARS-like virus had been found in bananas from Hainan.
The rumor resulted in a drop in banana prices from Hainan,
causing losses of as much as US$2.6 million dollars per day. The output of
bananas in the island province accounts for one sixth of the country's total,
according to the Ministry.