EAST AFRICA: Banana blight puts livelihoods at risk

KAMPALA-NAIROBI, 17 June 2009 (IRIN) - The bacterial banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) disease will endanger the livelihoods of millions of East African farmers if left uncontrolled, according to specialists. First reported about 40 years ago in Ethiopia, BXW is endemic in most of Uganda, and has been reported in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya and Rwanda. “BXW is the most serious threat to banana production in East Africa ... read more...