The fast-spreading deadly banana disease in Western Uganda has affected banana plantation and fruits writs in the country, eating up the banana plant and wilting fruits at a terrifying rate.
Despite the scale of the epidemic, there is an alarming lack of actors and intervention from the government to respond to the crisis, which has caused panic among banana farmers in the country. The unknown disease in the country has elicited concerns by the Ministry of Agriculture, charging the central government to intervene and contain the outbreak in the districts.
“We are just recovering from the banana bacteria wilt, our plantations are new and now we are affected by this deadly disease. Scientists say they do not know how it spreads and not even how it would be controlled,” said Jeremiah Kamulari, the Isingiro District chairman. “The government must come up with a measure through research as soon as possible to save farmers.”
The epidemic has worsened recently, with a rise in new cases reported in six most banana-producing sub-counties in his district and it is quickly spreading to others, said Kamulari, whose move to send samples to the agriculture ministry for necessary steps has yielded no result.
Without efforts by the central government in response to the disease, all the hopes of the banana farmers would be shuttered, said the Ntungamo District Secretary for Production, Anthony Byaruhanga. A report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) says the disease, although dangerous, is not comparable to banana wilt.
According to the Commissioner for crop protection at MAAIF, Stephen Byantwale, the ministry took samples of the affected crops to the government laboratory to determine the particular infectious agents behind the plague. He said they suspect the disease could be caused by fungi.
“We suspect it to be anthracnose,” the commissioner said. Anthracnose is a group of fungal diseases that cause dark, sunken lesions on leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits of bananas and other plants. The disease also affects vegetables.
However, a farmer from Ngarama Sub County in Isingiro District noted that they have started cutting down many banana plants affected by the disease and burying them hoping to prevent further infection, but they do not know whether this would be a remedy.
The East African country is among the top ten banana producing countries. More than 75 percent of all farmers grow bananas, the country’s staple food. If the government drags its feet further in coming up with measures through research, the epidemic might keep spreading to other parts of the country, and could result in a lasting adverse economic impact.
By Ahmed Iyanda.
