He however laments that the volume of banana he has been taking to markets has over the years continued to decrease. He partly attributes this the attack of some banana plantations by the deadly a banana bacterial wilt disease also know as Xanthomonas

This comes as global food crisis continues to hit the world hard, the livelihoods of millions of Ugandans, most of who depend on Bananas as their food crop continue to be threatened by current isolated outbreaks of banana bacterial wilt disease.

In the last eight months, the disease has been reported in close to ten districts in the country with district Agricultural Officers there calling for immediate intervention to combat the disease.

Ntungamo district is one of the affected districts in the country. The district production secretary Eljah Atuheire says parts of Kaforero, Ibare and Nyakyera sub counties have been badly hit.

He says some affected plantations have been destroyed while technical and political sensitization on the disease is going on in a move to eradicate the disease.

The other district of Uganda that has witnesses the outbreak of this disease is Rukungiri. The dreaded banana bacterial wilt ravaged banana plantations in the seven out of the eleven sub counties in the district putting the banana industry at a big risk of being wiped out.

Early this year, Zepher Karyaija the Rukungiri district NAADS coordinator reported that Nyakagyeme, Kebisoni, Ruhinda, Buyanja, Nyakishenyi, Kagunga, and Buhunga sub counties were under attack. In Kasese district banana bacterial Wilt Disease destroyed close to 100 acres of crop in Kasese the past eight months.

Gregory Masereka, the agriculture extension officer for Karambi sub-county says his sub county is one of the three sub-counties worst hit by the disease in the district. In Kanungu district, the disease was detected in plantations in Kambuga, Kirima and Kihihi sub-counties as well as in Kanungu Town Council some few months ago.

Uganda government says Banana Bacterial Wilt Disease is the number one plant disease problem in Uganda. The disease can potentially devastate thousands of acres of banana crop, on which millions of Ugandans depend for their daily sustenance. However, the ministry of Agricultural, Animal, Industry and Fisheries says notes that this disease is not widely spread and most farmers do not yet need to worry but it is important that farmers learn to recognize and watch out for signs and possible presence of the disease.

A number of characteristics of this disease include yellowing and wilting of the plant starting with the most peripheral leaves. After wilting, the leaves tend to droop and the plant eventually stops growing and dies. Some of the steps to fight this disease include destroying banana plants that are affected by the disease and burying the whole affected plant.