EXPERTS in Tanzania's banana industry have convened for a five-day meeting in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, to draft a strategy and action plan for eradicating a dangerous disease that threatens to cause a massive loss in banana yields.

Dr Ben Ngowi, the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) acting director general, said here yesterday that the meeting involves experts from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and partner organizations working to combat the spread of the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV).

He stated that BBTV has already spread across the northeastern region, southern highlands, the Lake Victoria zone and the western zone, where bananas are a major staple.

“It is time to develop a joint strategy as a community, development stakeholders, quality regulators and TPHPA. After formulating this strategy we will present it to the public for review and improvement.

“Our aim is to commit ourselves through local village regulations to control this disease, particularly in transporting seeds from one area to another. BBTV can completely wipe out yields, and we've already seen its impact in Buhigwe District, Kigoma. This has forced us to develop a deliberate strategy to compensate for the losses caused by the damage,” the director explained.

TPHPA has made various efforts to control this disease by seeking to raise awareness among farmers and the wider public, alongside other stakeholders in the value chain, he stated/

TPHPA and banana industry stakeholders have taken measures such as uprooting and destroying infected banana plants, injecting herbicides that completely destroy the banana plants, he said.

STREPHIT, a project for strengthening plant health services for enhanced food safety that FAO administers in a joint project with the European Union (EU) has been essential to these efforts, officials said.

Dr Monday Ahonsi, the FAO plant protection technical advisor, highlighted the importance of eradicating BBTV in Tanzania, noting that with STREPHIT the FAO alongside the EU remains committed to eradicating the disease through the transformative project.

This initiative is intended to strengthen plant health services and promote access to safe, high-quality agricultural produce at the domestic and international level, he asserted.

“BBTV poses a significant threat to banana production, a staple crop for millions of Tanzanians. FAO remains determined to work with local and international partners to achieve the complete eradication of BBTV and foster a healthier and more resilient agricultural future for Tanzania,” the key adviser added.