Farmers count losses after banana disease ravages crop

By Grace Wekesa

Farmers in Kakamega County have suffered loses running into millions of shillings following the outbreak of a deadly Panama disease.

The infectious disease has ravaged the crop in the region, especially Kakamega Central and Kakamega North.

The sweet banana is the most affected variety of the fruit and this has led to its scarcity in the market. 

Small-scale farmers in the area have appealed to the Government to intervene and save them from further losses.

According to some farmers who spoke to The Standard, the Cavendish species, a disease-resistant variety of the crop, is now more preferred by farmers who are uprooting the sweet banana.

Yellowish hue

Eunice Masitsa, a farmer in Kakamega Central District, said she discovered a peculiar yellowish hue on her crop before it later started to dry up.

“Due to high demand for sweet bananas in the market, I set aside a substantial portion of my land for the crop. However, the plantation was destroyed by the disease twice,” said Masitsa.

Mr Lucas Kasamai, a farmer in Kakamega North District, confirmed that he uprooted all sweet banana variety in his farm after discovering that the crop had been infected.

“I took a healthy sucker to my friend in the neighbourhood but the infection caught up with his crop three months after. It has become hopeless to grow this species in the area,” said Kasamai.

Joash Owino, a researcher at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute in Kakamega, said the infection is caused by a fungus and is incurable.

He said farmers have been advised to test their soils to know the acidity levels.

Panama pathogen

“In addition, farmers should top dress their crop using Calcium Ammonium Nitrate since acidity favours panama pathogen that causes the infection.

“A transplanted sucker, even though fresh, can still get infected once the pathogen is present in the acidic soil,” said Owino.

He also suggested crop rotation and destruction of infected plants as the best measures to stop the spread of the disease.

Owino urged farmers to try out other disease-resistant varieties such as Fhia besides Cavendish varieties.

He warned that other bacterial infections affecting all banana varieties could still manifest the same symptoms as Panama.