BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The bananas which have contracted Panama disease are safe to eat, said the Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday.

    In the southern China province of Hainan, the price of bananas has dropped dramatically after consumers were scared by misleading media reports that described the disease as "SARS of the banana" and called infected bananas "poisonous fruit".

    An official with the ministry said the banana is a major cash plant in South China and has won good reputation among consumers.

    He said the country has grown 260,000 hectares of bananas and produces nearly 7 million tons every year, ranking third in the world.

    Ninety percent of the bananas are of find breed, said the official.

    The ministry has sent experts to major banana producing areas to investigate the epidemic situation and help farmers to prevent the disease, he said.

    Panama disease, also called Banana Wilt, is a devastating disease caused by a soil-inhabiting fungus species. It is widespread in Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and many other regions.

    So far, the world has no effective cure for the disease.