NARO warns of a new banana plantation disease

By Juliet Nalwooga

The National Agriculture Organisation (NARO) has warned of a new disease reported to be wiping out banana plantations in Uganda and Rwanda.

According to a statement from the NARO Twitter page, the disease has affected 60% of banana plantations in South Western Uganda & Northern Rwanda. It has affected 11 districts in Greater Mbarara and is now being reported in the Busoga region.

Scientists have now advised farmers to cut the affected banana fruits and bury them to reduce the population of insects in the field.

In February 2020, a strange disease hit banana plantations in the western region and spread in more than 10 districts.

The western region produces up to 68 percent of the country’s banana output, according to the 2009 findings of the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna