Does a phyto certificate imply that my incoming corm is disease free?
 

What exactly does a phytosanitary certificate verify?

Does it mean that the corm doesn't have diseases like BBTV, Black Sigatoka, etc? Does it just mean that it's devoid of external pests/parasites? Anyone know for sure?

I'm importing a banana from Thailand, and I'm wondering how I can be sure that it's free of disease.

Re: Does a phyto certificate imply that my incoming corm is disease free?
 

I imported 300 plants to Hawaii in June. Every state and country has its own requirements regarding the type of plant they will allow to come into their area. A certificate from your state's or country's Department of Agriculture states your plants are free from disease and pests. I didn't think both California and Hawaii did a thorough job. In your case, with one plant you should be ok. I purchased plants from Thialand before and the ones that were suspect didn't make it to me. In Hawaii, my plants could not contain any soil. Check your states agriculture website for their specific requirements. I hope this helps!

Re: Does a phyto certificate imply that my incoming corm is disease free?
 

It actually verifies that you have a phytosanitary certicate, anything besides that is wishful thinking.
There are many different types of import certificates and basically they are a formal notification that you are importing something.

Re: Does a phyto certificate imply that my incoming corm is disease free?
 

My understanding of it is that they check the plant for diseases and insects that they don't want, not so much diseases and insects that are currently here.

Re: Does a phyto certificate imply that my incoming corm is disease free?
 

Check is a good word. It's a visual inspection. They will not find every disease or pest. They did not inspect all 300 of the plants I imported. They took a sampling.

Re: Does a phyto certificate imply that my incoming corm is disease free?
 

PR Giant hit the nail on the head. If they looked at the plants, at all, it means that they were free of any disgustingly obvious problems. Otherwise it means that they filled out the paperwork.