The Monitor (Kampala)
Proscovia Nansubuga
8 July 2009
The notorious Banana Bacterial Wilt (BBW) disease, has now been brought under control.
The BBW is a disease caused by a bacterium called xanthomonas campestris pv musacerum. It is mainly transmitted by insects and the use of same farm implements on healthy plants after using them on diseased ones. The bacterium finds its way into the plant system through the flower or any damaged part of the plant and it affects all banana varieties, causing the plant to wilt.
"The knowledge we acquired through the various BBW sensitisation workshops and radio programmes helped us to contain the disease and we know how to safeguard our newly established plantation. Our hope for bananas as a food and cash crop has been restored," says Stanley Sempa, of Mukono district.
Sebakka Herbert a banana farmer in Nalubabwe village, in Mukono district is also happy about the progress.
He attributes the achievement to good leadership and the commitment of Nabbale BBW Control Task Force, which mobilised the communities to enforce the recommended preventive measures and coping strategies.
Timely de-budding safeguards the banana plant from bacterial wilt. PHOTO BY EDGAR R. BATTE
"We made sure that the sub-county chairman was part of the village BBW control task force, to effectively implement the bi-laws instituted by the community to aid the enforcement of the recommended BBW control measures. Whoever refused to abide by the advice given to us by the researchers was dealt with in accordance to the bi-laws," Ssebaka emphasised.
Ssebakka said researchers from Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute advised the farmers to cut down, chop and burry all the infected plants and then disinfect all the equipment used in the exercise. Regular monitoring of the plantations and removing the male buds as soon as the cluster formation is complete is among the important agronomic practices which have helped farmers keep off the disease.
Dr Carolyn Nankinga, one of the scientists on the National BBW Control Initiative task force attributes the success to easy control measures alongside the participatory development communication approach which triggered active community participation and the spirit of collective responsibility among community members.
"Judging by what has been done so far; we have saved about 80 per cent of the initial countrywide anticipated loss of $360m annually," she said.
Banana growing is one of the major perennial agriculture enterprises out of which farmers can derive money and food throughout the year. So, the success so far registered has given the farmers confidence to re-invest in their once devastated income and food security crop.
As part of the strategy to ease accessibility of clean banana planting material for all interested farmers, The Banana Programme of Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute, has linked banana farmers to other stakeholder organisations like the Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Programme and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. These organisations are facilitating banana farmers to access and plant tissue cultured banana plantlets.
The organisations are also training farmers to produce clean banana planting materials, using the Macro Propagation System. These then supply their neighbours with clean planting materials at a small fee.
"Macro propagation is a cost effective system because a single 'chorm', can generate between 20 - 30 clean plantlets. At this rate, we can meet the high demand for clean banana planting materials and we can therefore speed up the on going efforts to revive the banana industry that was seriously affected by the banana bacterial wilt".
Silver Nganda, the Mukono District Farmers Association Agricultural adviser confirms, adding that over 150 acres have since been planted with bananas and close to 60 acres of old banana plantations revived.
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