Lomé – Across Africa, bananas are a vital crop for millions of smallholder farmers, but the spread of transboundary plant diseases like banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) and Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) poses a serious threat to economic growth and sustainable development on the continent. The Central and Western African…
Plantain is one of the most important food crops, contributing 16% of farmers’ incomes and 4.5% to agricultural GDP in Cameroon. It is one of the priority crops included in Cameroon’s development strategy (SND30) for increasing production and reducing importation. However, plantain cultivation faces banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) caused…
With recent outbreaks in Tanzania and Uganda, banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) emerged as a significant threat to banana crops in East Africa. The disease, caused by the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), can lead to yield losses of 70 to 90% in the first season, with subsequent seasons seeing…
The invasion of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), the causal agent of the lethal bunchy top disease of banana and plantain, threatens Africa’s most crucial banana production region in East Africa. The virus spread, confirmed in the 2020s in Tanzania and Uganda, is expanding fast. For instance, the delimitation survey…
Strengthening capacities to contain and control the disease will safeguard food and livelihood security Banana production is a major contributor to Tanzania’s economy, in fact, it is one of the most important crops that bolsters the country’s agribusiness subsector which is projected to grow by 10 percent by 2030 –…
A workshop on strengthening the preparedness and emergency management of Banana Fusarium wilt (TR4) and Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) for Southern African countries was organized from 5 to 9 June 2023 by FAO, with the financial support of the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-USAID. The workshop brought together representatives…