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An Agricultural Research Scientist Harold Katondo has recommended for adoption of biotechnology banana varieties in an effort to revamp production of the crop f
Malawi growers begin to bounce back after banana blight
Back in 2016, the devastating Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) ruined the livelihoods of Malawi s 185,000 farming households, dependent on banana revenues. The disease spread across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Malawi.
According to Malawi s Ministry of Agriculture, the BBTD was detected just after the turn of the millennium in Nkhata Bay some 700km north of Maulidi s field. Believed to have been brought in by smugglers, the disease spread across the country leaving farmers destitute. Plants infected with BBTV at an early growth stage are severely dwarfed and do not bear fruit.
Agricultural extension workers saw the banana crop devastation in their districts of operation in Thyolo and Mulanje, where previously banana growing was the mainstay for farmers.